MLS players have their say on where their teams would finish in the Premier League

It turns out Major League Soccer players are a bit more realistic than their Premier League counterparts.

When asked where the best MLS team would finish in England, not a single one was brave or stupid enough to suggest they could make the Champions League places. According to the survey from ESPN, 17 per cent predicted a finish between fifth and ninth, half said 10th-14th and the remaining 33 per cent thought North America's finest would be bottom-six finishers this side of the pond. "The best MLS team would get relegated every year in the Premier League," one respondent said. "An MLS All-Star team would fight to [survive] in the bottom half." That's not quite in sync with some of the recent results of the annual All-Star game, with the MLS's elite beating Tottenham, Arsenal, Chelsea and even Bayern Munich in the last decade. But when you consider the most recent MLS Cup winners have Liam Ridgewell at the heart of their defence, perhaps the players are on to something.