NYCFC, Pirlo:"MLS needs academies, European managers and less restrictions on transfer market"

After struggling in his first season in MLS, Andrea Pirlo's team NYCFC has finished in second place in the regular season and has clinched a first round bye. The Italian midfielder spoke about his second year playing in the United States:"We are aiming for the title because the matches are always close. It's a bit the story of this league where many teams are comparable. The league has improved since last season. There have been some improvements tactically, but also techincally with the arrival of many good players. The level has improved and will continue to do so, you need time and some patience. I like Jack Harrison who scored a nice goal on Sunday, he needs to mature but with a European coach like Vieira he did well. Do we need more European coaches? I agree, I've been saying often: to improve the movement you don't need just stars. Many players here leave college without learning anything: they're wasting time. They find themselves in a professional league at 21 or 22 with same level of football knowledge as an Italian kid who just left school. If this league wants to improve they need to take away the restrictions on transfer market. Every team needs to be allowed to buy and manage their players, because now everyone signs a contract with MLS"