Former Manchester United winger Terry Cooke hopes quality players can be attracted from the Premiership to join the MLS's foreign contingent.

Colorado Rapids star Cooke told evertonTV: "I want players to come over here when they're still hungry, in their late-20s. You hear rumours of people coming here but they're in their mid-30s. It's great, but really we don't want that. We want the league to get stronger, we want people with ambition and hunger still. We don't want people coming over here and taking a ride.

"Beckham obviously came at an age when he's still good enough to play in the best teams in Europe and he came over with hunger and wanted to make the game more popular over here."

Cooke is convinced the USA will soon become a world power.

"I can honestly say that a few years down the line the States are going to be one of the strongest nations in the world. Obviously the current generation hasn't been brought up with football like we are in England - because it has so many other sports to compete with - but as coaching and tactical knowledge improves over here more players are coming through.

"It's shown by the number of Americans in the Premier League now and also in other countries. Now Americans are starting to take the game more seriously we're seeing more money in the game and we're seeing a massive difference."