Steven Gerrard vs Frank Lampard: England stars are quitting America but which one had the better career in the USA?
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TWO England legends announced this week their time playing in Major League Soccer is up.
And rumours abound that both Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard could be about to bring their curtain down on their fantastic careers that took them from the Premier League to across the water.
Today, LA Galaxy announced that Gerrard had left the club, on the same day that Lampard announced he would be leaving New York City following the expiration of his contract.
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Here, SunSport takes a look at who was better in the MLS, and like the duration of their respective careers, it's hard to separate the two midfield mavericks.
Appearances
With both players moving to the US at the end of their careers, it might be expected that injuries would take their toll.
But by and large the two managed to start most of their club's games. Gerrard played with niggling injuries towards the end of his career that saw him appear from the bench twice, be substituted twice, and watch on from the dugout in the other from his last five games.
Lampard found it a tough transition at first for New York City. After appearing off the bench in his first game - a 3-2 defeat to Montreal on August 1, 2015, he was then replaced in the next four games.
Although, as mentioned, both were seen as first-team regular, they tended not to finish the full 90 minutes for their clubs.
Goals
Perhaps as to be expected, Lampard wins hands down on this one. The ex-Chelsea midfielder bagged 15 goals from 31 games.
Gerrard, on the other hand, finished with five goals from 33 games.
With the two seen as different types of midfielders throughout their careers, these stats will not come as such a surprise.
It will only add to the question why two players who offer opposite strengths in the middle of the park "couldn't play together" for England (at least to replicate their Premier League dominance).
Lampard's finest goalscoring moment in the MLS came when he scored a hat-trick to help his side to a 5-1 win against Colorado Rapids on July 30 this year.
Gerrard will be well remembered for notching his side's fifth goal of a 5-2 win against Real Salt Lake on April 23 this year.
He collected the ball some 30 yards out, burst forward, sidestepped two defenders to get into the box and coolly finish past the opposition goalkeeper.
Assists
Just as Lampard was the clear winner on goals scored, Gerrard smashes it on assists - further highlighting their differing strengths to their teams.
Gerrard ended his MLS career with 14 assists from 33 games, Lampard collected just four from his 31.
With Gerrard's ability to spray passes from deep as he marshalled the midfield, it is little surprise he helped his team to effective counter attacks.
He was also giving the freedom to roam when Nigel de Jong was signed up as the midfield enforcer, meaning he was in advanced positions to set up his team-mates.
Lampard, meanwhile, would often find his exuberance put him in positions for LA Galaxy that were ahead of the strikers. And we all know how good a finished Lamps is.
On July 4 Gerrard was instrument in helping LA Galaxy to a 2-0 win against Vancounver Whitecaps.
Not only did he assist both goals, but when 2-0 up ex-Manchester City man Nigel de Jong was sent off. This meant Gerrard was left to run central midfield alone. Something he did majestically to guide his side over the finishing line.
Back on October 23 New York were locked at 1-1 at home to Columbus Crew when Lampard's introduction for another football veteran, Italian Andrea Pirlo, changed the game.
He had only been on the field for two minutes when he set up Jack Harrison to make it 2-1.
Fellow sub Kiry Shelton then made it 3-1, before Lampard got another assist for David Villa in injury time to seal a comfortable victory.
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Improving the MLS franchise
There's no doubt that both Gerrard and Lampard moving to play in the MLS raised the standard of football both teams played.
But who was a bigger hit with the home fans?
Shirt sales had Gerrard as the fifth-biggest seller in home shirts in the MLS, Lampard also made the top ten in ninth (Andrea Pirlo topped the shirt-sales, if you're wondering).
Attendances are obviously mitigated by a number of factors, but when Gerrard played half a season 2015/15 figures rose from 21,258 to 23,392.
The following season with Gerrard in from the start, it was 25,147.
But it doesn't appear Lampard's time with New York had a similar effect.
Attendances were down this season on last, from 29,016 to 27,196.
However, those mitigating factors aformentioned come into play. New York is a new franchise, and after their struggles in their first season, fans will have fallen by the wayside.
Verdict
It's fair to say neither Gerrard or Lampard have pulled up trees since moving to play in the MLS.
Their MLS careers mirrored each other - Lampard started off poorly and looked a spent force, before getting into shape and proving he still has "it".
Gerrard looked a shrewd signing for the Galaxy taking the game by the scruff of the neck. But come the end, many were questioning whether he had become a spent force, taking too long to overcome niggling injuries that blight the latter stages of a career.
SunSport has given Lampard a 6 and Gerrard a 5 rating out of 10 for their time in the MLS. While Lampard stepped it up and perhaps proved he could still compete at a decent level, Gerrard may well decide a failure to get back to 100 per cent fitness game on game means he may look to get into coaching sooner rather than later.