American soccer took a massive step forward when the greatest soccer player of all time joined Major League Soccer. Compared to leagues in other parts of the world, especially the Premier League and Europe, the MLS has traditionally been insignificant, irrelevant, and low quality, attracting very low viewership. However, after Inter Miami, the worst team in the league, signed Lionel Messi, the MLS was thrown under the spotlight immediately.
As soon as Messi signed for Inter Miami, there was anticipation. How would the greatest player of all time fare on the 56th best league in the world? The ensuing events played out as many expected. Messi led rock bottom Inter Miami, winless in their last ten games, to their first ever club trophy, the Leagues Cup. He scored ten goals, provided four assists, won the Top Scorer award, and won the Best Player of the tournament award. In just seven games, he became Inter’s season top goalscorer and also their greatest player of all time.
Messi’s impact went far beyond the pitch. Apple TV subscriptions had a 1,690% growth on the day he made his Leagues Cup debut (CNN). Just last summer, Apple signed the MLS to a 10-year, $2.5 billion deal to stream matches internationally, which was Apple’s first major sports deal. Thanks to David Beckham (president and co-owner of Inter Miami) and Miami’s ideal location and lifestyle, Apple’s deal just got exponentially better. After Messi’s arrival, not a seat is left unoccupied in any stadium he enters; Argentina, Barcelona, Miami jerseys with ‘10’ on the back flood the stands; tickets to an Inter-Miami game that were sold for $50 are now being resold for $5,000.
But what does this mean for the USA? Soccer has been a neglected sport in the U.S. for decades, and has only recently begun to gain popularity. With the MLS gaining attraction and bringing in stars like Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba, the league’s publicity has also attracted many foreign viewers. When people around the world want to watch their favorite players play in this rapidly growing league, investments also pour in. Through more investments and increasing popularity in the sport, talented soccer players in America can develop better, and the USMNT will have a brighter future. The rise of soccer in the USA also improves the talent of high school and college soccer. With the amount of athletic talent that USA has already exhibited in other sports, they certainly have the potential to be a dominant force in the most popular sport in the world.
