The addition of Brad Smith via loan could be the first of a new pipeline for MLS talent from England. British players, like Dom Dwyer, have mostly entered MLS via college or bouncing out of the academy systems in the UK. Players from the Premier League and the EFL Championship have largely been off limits for MLS clubs due to high transfer fees and inflated wages.
Loans are not new to the league, but have largely focused on Mexican clubs with players not getting minutes or Latin American clubs loaning out promising players with the intent to eventually sell them into MLS or overseas.