Columbus Crew's Michael Parkhurst feels the standard of Major League Soccer has lifted dramatically since he last played in 2008.
The 30-year old defender left New England Revolution to try his luck in Europe with Danish side FC Nordsjaelland, where he remained for four years, before moving to German club FC Augsburg.
Parkhurst had the opportunity to return to his homeland this winter and took the chance with both hands as he strives for a spot in the USA's World Cup squad. He was also intrigued to see just how far the domestic competition had come in the last half-decade.
"I've been following the league since I left. The level is getting better every year," the Crew skipper told MLSsoccer.com this week.
"The biggest way you can tell that right off the bat is training.
"When I was in the League prior, the level of training really dropped off after the first 13, 14 guys maybe. Here, I think now the level now isn't dropping off.
"You've got 25 guys, 26 guys all battling to get into the 18. That just wasn't the case when I was here prior."
Parkhurst made his Crew debut last weekend with a 90-minute shutout performance when the Ohio club defeated DC United 3-0 in Washington. Columbus next meets Philadelphia Union on Saturday.
