Colorado Rapids' new sporting director Padraig Smith believes American soccer is in a very strong position off the pitch.
The Irishman, who will officially take over on January 1, has been appointed to oversee the MLS club's salary cap, soccer operations budget and player profiling and suggests he is entering the North American market which is in a very healthy situation.
"With UEFA, I worked on a massive project in the Financial Fair Play, which allowed me to visit top clubs like Real Madrid, Manchester City, Barcelona, Juventus, and AC Milan," said the former UEFA and Football Association of Ireland (FAI) financial expert.
"That was a phenomenal learning experience and I can bring that to my role with Colorado.
"A lot of things that are happening in America are actually ahead of Europe, especially off the field.
"When I met with the ownership at Colorado, that really sealed the deal, because it was clear that from the top down everyone was pulling in same direction. There was a real focus and strategy behind everything.
"That is not always the way in Europe. So for me, it was a very attractive project because I want to be involved, and Colorado is a very well-run club.
"In my time with the FAI, I was able to influence things from the very beginning and I hope to do that with Colorado, too."
