Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole... five British players to watch in MLS

By James Kilpatrick

The British influence keeps growing in Major League Soccer.

The new season kicks off on March 6 and you can follow all the action with Sky Sports.

Here are five familiar names to look out for...

Steven Gerrard

Image: LA Galaxy midfielder Steven Gerrard celebrates

Steven Gerrard did not have the best introduction to MLS in 2015, a point he has alluded to in interviews, admitting he struggled to adapt to the long travel and varying altitudes. 

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But with a full pre-season under his belt, Gerrard is expected to improve on his two goals and three assists from the second half of last season.

The former Liverpool captain may also be encouraged by having a midfield destroyer in the shape of former Manchester City and AC Milan man Nigel de Jong next to him, allowing Gerrard greater creative freedom.

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Ashley Cole

Image: Ashley Cole joined LA Galaxy during the off-season

Ashley Cole already has some critics Stateside, following his comments two years ago prior to his move to Roma that he rejected offers from the MLS because he wasn't "ready to relax on a beach yet".

However, now that he has made the move to California - famous for its great beaches - the former England international seems determined to impress.

Cole has taken a wage cut to $300,000 a year (or £3,996 a week) to prove his doubters wrong - and improve on his frustrating spell in Serie A, which saw him make just 11 appearances for Roma.

Frank Lampard

Image: Frank Lampard will be hoping for a successful 2016 with New York City

Chelsea legend Frank Lampard scored three goals and recorded one assist in 10 appearances after his long-awaited mid-season move to New York City FC.

The former England international had frustrated NYCFC fans by extending his stay at Manchester City until the end of the Premier League season and his MLS impact was delayed by a series of injuries, before he eventually scored his first goal in a 2-0 win against Toronto on September 16.

But this year, under the guidance of new head coach Patrick Vieira, Lampard will hope to combine successfully with David Villa and Andrea Pirlo and fire New York City into a play-off place after they finished below the red line in 2015 in a disappointing first season for the club.

Bradley Wright-Phillips

Image: Bradley Wright-Phillips has been a prolific goalscorer for New York Red Bulls

Bradley Wright-Phillips has been a consistent goalscorer for New York Red Bulls for the last two seasons and has been the focal point of their attack.

The former Manchester City, Southampton and Charlton striker scored 17 goals last season on the back of his 27-goal haul in 2014. If he scores 14 goals this season, he will become the Red Bulls' all-time leading goalscorer.

The 30-year-old also registered seven assists last year as he showed himself to be a more imposing presence up front.

The Red Bulls endured a disappointing finish to last season, losing in the MLS Cup Eastern Conference final, and Wright-Phillips will be determined to repeat his scoring feats of the past two seasons to fire the team back into the play-offs.

Dom Dwyer

Image: Dom Dwyer (R) has been at Sporting Kansas City for four years

One of the lesser known British players in MLS, Dwyer is actually one of the most productive. The Sussex-born 25-year-old has been making waves in American soccer since being drafted into the top tier from college in 2012.

The former Norwich City academy player has 36 goals in 80 appearances for Sporting Kansas City, where he has been the team's main striker for the last two seasons.

In 2014, Dwyer scored 22 goals which made him the second highest scorer in the league. Last season, he got 10 less but was still a constant threat to opposition defences.

In his fifth year of professional football, and likely to operate as the lone striker, Dwyer may return to the higher reaches of the scoring charts yet again.

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