Stuart Findlay has admitted the style of play sold him on a move to MLS rather than Hearts.
The Scotland centre back completed his move from Kilmarnock to Philadelphia Union for a nominal fee last week.
Findlay was a pre-contract target for Robbie Neilson, who had hoped to convince the centre back to be part of his Tynecastle squad for what looks a likely return to the Scottish Premiership next season.
With Christophe Berra out of contract in the summer and John Souttar’s return from injury being carefully managed, the Championship leaders were keen to recruit another central defender.
But Findlay opted to go stateside instead, and had revealed that the way they play made it more appealing that remaining in Scotland.
He said: “Every football team would love to be able to play that way because it’s attractive to watch, it’s what fans want to see when they come into the stadiums,” Findlay said. “To come here and know that I’m going to be playing that sort of football, it’s real exciting. You watch the top clubs in Europe do it now, and it’s exhilarating when you watch it on the field.
“One of my main attributes is the pace that I have, and I think if I play in that way and [am] pushing high up the park trying to press, that hopefully I can use my pace to cover in behind.
“Sometimes when you look at squads of players you have to play to your strengths, and maybe I’ve not been lucky enough to be involved in a team that play that way.”
