Didier Drogba hopes he can guide Phoenix’s rise to Major League Soccer

Chelsea legend Didier Drogba is embarking on the next step of his career with Phoenix Rising in the United Soccer League. As a player and part-owner, Drogba will be part of Phoenix’s bid for Major League Soccer.

Didier Drogba has a few more stops to make before he takes up permanent station on the Chelsea coaching staff. Drogba will be the first player-owner of an American football club for one year. After that he will commit himself full-time to his duties as co-owner.

Drogba is undertaking a unique challenge at Phoenix Rising. Steering a club into Major League Soccer is much more complicated – and much more expensive – than taking a club into the Champions League or the Premier League. He will have to emulate his former club owner and mentor, Roman Abramovich, and splash cash and influence to attain his goals.

"Roman Abramovich always made the right decision, even when it was the most difficult decision. I think that is what I can learn from him… He makes big decisions and he is brave. That is what I can do. – The Telegraph"

The United Soccer League is the second-and-a-half division of the American soccer hierarchy. American soccer does not have a system of promotion and relegation. Moving a club to MLS is more like bidding for the World Cup than it is playing for promotion at Wembley.

Phoenix Rising will have to pay for the privilege of making a bid. That bid will include extensive outlays for new facilities and other expenditures MLS demands of prospective teams. If MLS then accepts the bid, Phoenix will have a fixed amount of time to deliver on those terms.

Drogba will have to brace himself for the possibility that he may learn some hard lessons about US Soccer. Unlike nearly every other federation in the world, on-field performance does not advance your club’s fortunes under US Soccer’s structure.

"I spoke to people about the opportunity and when I was playing I was a bit curious and trying to understand how things work. I also thought about all the advice I have had in my career and what I have seen."

Phoenix Rising will lean heavily on Didier Drogba’s star power and influence to convince potential investors and sponsors to underwrite the club’s ambitions. Drogba’s buy-in represents a large part of those expenses, but he may still have a few checks to write.

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Drogba plans to continue working on his coaching badges alongside his playing and management at Phoenix. He may transition towards a technical director role at the American club, which would set him up well for his eventual, inevitable return to Stamford Bridge.