We complain about the weather, or at least comment on it, at an alarming rate here in Ireland, but if anyone can match us in terms for moaning it would have to be the Scots, who have to deal with the elements in a similar volume and are similarly fussy about it.
Kilmarnock striker and former Rangers, Nottingham Forest, and Portland Timbers player Kris Boyd was the latest to sit down for a chat about their career with Si Ferry for Open Goal, and he spoke glowingly about the structure and experience playing professional soccer in the MLS.
Boyd had one season with the Timbers that was going well until a change of manager saw him benched, but he had originally flown over to speak to the Houston Dynamo.
That deal never had a chance of happening once the Scot experience the Texas climate in what was supposed to be winter.
Flew there January time, they were building a new stadium so they said 'come on, we'll see the stadium' - it's towards the end of January, I thought; shirt on, wee jumper round the neck, here we go - I get down the stairs in the hotel, walk outside, before I got to the stadium right down there [points to stomach] dripping with sweat.
Turned to my agent and said 'lets get on this plane, I cannae play here, it's January! We need to get back home.'
Roasting. Roasting.
And that was so called winter time. When I went to sign for Portland I went back [to play against Houston], I would never have lasted. What a decision it was, they're starting training at half-seven, eight in the morning there to try and miss the heat. I just, even walking about was roasting.
Portland was a great city, I loved every minute of it to be fair.
It sounds roasting.
Boyd bagged seven goals in his one season as Portland's 'designated player', and explained that he would have liked to have stayed on but a change in GM saw the club go in a different direction.
Nevertheless, the league left a big impression on him, and he admitted it irks him when he hears people back in Scotland talking down on MLS.
I think until you've experienced the whole American thing you don't realise how good it is because you get everything. The stadiums are packed, so what annoys me is you listen to people, especially back here, who say the standard isn't great this and that, I tell you what, go and try it.
You forget that one week you're freezing temperatures and the next you're roasting, next week is at altitude, there's everything. I mean Seattle Sounders are playing in front of 50,000 every week. The women's team in Portland were playing in front of 15,000 every week. There's only Rangers and Celtic in Scotland getting more than that.
Fantastic setup. I know everybody keeps going on about 'will it kick on?', I genuinely do think it is starting to.
Boyd listed a number of players that the league had produced in recent times and stressed that there is more to come, and he's got a point. It's a seriously attractive option to players in this part of the world, and they all seem to thoroughly enjoy it when they do make the decision to go.
As long as it's not too hot all the time.
You can watch Boyd's chat about Turkish football and the MLS in full below:
