Careers intertwined: Lampard, Gerrard leave MLS as expendable stars

The relief of finality has come at last for two of England's finest ever footballers, as Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard, ever juxtaposed, announced Monday the end of their MLS adventures; the former confirmed his departure, while the latter dropped the strongest of hints.

Star men often leave behind a legacy, so the question is asked: What sort of legacy do Gerrard and Lampard leave behind in MLS?

These two stars certainly came to American shores with the brunt of their novel already written; Lampard, thrice a Premier League champion, shared knowledge of Champions League glory with his compatriot Gerrard as the two walked the path set by David Beckham.

After two years of dogged play, this pair has experienced something new. Their almost regal presence was replaced with dispensability. Now long removed from the days of Chelsea blue or Liverpool red, they leave their clubs in no state of disarray. Instead, the scope of their expendability has been highlighted.

Unlike Beckham or Thierry Henry before them, neither New York City FC nor the LA Galaxy truly needed the aged talents of Lampard or Gerrard.

They were not, however, jesters in a foreign court.

Their quality shone through, though in reduced frequency. Lampard continued scoring goals, as he has always done, as he will always be remembered for doing, while Gerrard led by example on and off the field, his passing and vision as sharp as ever.

Those who deny destiny see their synchronized farewells as coincidence. But, for those who have followed their intertwined careers, it is fitting that Lampard and Gerrard bid adieu hand-in-hand.

They were criticized endlessly for an inability play alongside one another at international level; the Gerrard-Lampard conundrum was enduring a storyline as England's repeated failures from the penalty spot.

Drop one, keep the other. Rinse, repeat ad infinitum.

Yet it is this pair that, together in North America's top flight, taught us a great many lessons.

We learned, by watching Gerrard get outpaced in midfield, that Major League Soccer is a better league than when Beckham called it home; we learned, in watching Lampard berated by his own fans, that a star is not a star unless he performs. And we learned, by watching the two settle in and succeed, if fleetingly, that MLS still has a ways to go before it can match Europe's finest.

We learned Gerrard holds Liverpool in his heart forever, and it is there that he will find his comforts once more. We learned Lampard and his longtime Chelsea teammate Didier Drogba - and the many more who will follow him from Europe - cannot call MLS an easy adventure.

But most of all, we saw two of the finest midfielders in the world call MLS their home, but not their castle nor their kingdom.

In that way, perhaps, Lampard and Gerrard have done the league a service, and depart not as unwanted guests but as treasured friends.