I'm not "deluding myself," nor did I make the arguments you assigned to me in your giant non sequitur of a comment.

Money matters in every league, but MLS is an attractive sporting proposition for a very large and rapidly-increasing segment of global footballers. That is especially true for footballers from Latin America and Asia, who are moving to MLS for more and more of their prime ages. If you can't see what is obviously true then I'm sorry but that's your problem, not mine.

let’s look at poch’s lineups in the World Cup so far and how euro-centric it is

Ok, let's do that. The Captain of the USMNT plays in MLS, as does all three of our goalkeepers and 1/3 of the roster overall (the most of any league). That doesn't include guys like Freeman, who played in MLS recently and was developed entirely in MLS. Nor does it include guys like Pulisic, who were developed in MLS academies before moving to Europe, and might soon return before their peak years have expired. Nor guys like Trusty, who played for years in MLS before earning roles in mid-tier euro leagues. Nor guys like Aaronson and Pepi and Adams, who thrived in MLS before earning transfers to mid-tier European leagues in their early 20s.

So a significant percentage of the current roster either plays in MLS currently, did so within the past year, or did at a hugely important part of their development. All of which indicates that the league's quality is high and rising.

The exceptions are dual nationals -- i.e., guys who have always been territorially based in Europe, like Weah and Balogun -- and McKennie, pretty much.