Lionel Messi’s electrifying first moments in front of the Inter Miami crowd have set a new standard for North American soccer — and that same level of excitement can also be expected in other markets.
The Argentinian superstar, deemed the greatest footballer of all time by many, was introduced to DRV PNK Stadium on Sunday night in an Apple TV event aptly named “The Unveil.” Braving heavy rain and a frightening thunderstorm, about 20,000 spectators welcomed the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner to the MLS.
What a moment.
Bienvenido @InterMiamiCF Lionel Messi pic.twitter.com/7AfzTiSsd9
— Al (@al_sciola) July 17, 2023
Miami, who currently sit at the bottom of the league’s standings, were in for another big turnout when over 200 media members stood in the hot Florida sun just to catch a glimpse of the World Cup champion in his first practice session on Tuesday.
Messi hits the practice field with @InterMiamiCF for the first time pic.twitter.com/tz60QEhPPK
— Al (@al_sciola) July 18, 2023
Messi mania may just be beginning in Miami. But, despite being a full-time member of the MLS, there is a possibility that the 36-year-old doesn’t visit every team in the league before his two-and-a-half-year contract is up.
That’s because of how the 29-team league’s schedule is structured.
When asked about the possibility of Messi not playing in certain cities, Dan Courtemanche, the executive vice president of communications for the MLS, told Daily Hive that nothing is certain yet.
“When you have a soon-to-be 30-team league, and it’s a conference type format, you’re playing teams within your conference on a consistent basis and then playing the teams in the other conference not as frequently,” Courtemanche explained. “Our schedule maker tries to make sure that he puts together a schedule that it is distributed evenly over the course of time.”
An Eastern Conference team like Miami only plays Western Conference teams a handful of times every season. With that said trips to other markets are often not repeated until they have visited every club in the opposite conference at least once.
“For example, Inter Miami’s going to play LAFC in September, so it would be unlikely that they will play on the road against LA FC in 2024, or even 2025 for that matter,” said Courtemanche. “That would allow a team such as Vancouver or even San Diego, as we go into 2025, to host a home game against Inter Miami and Lionel Messi.”
As a result, the stars would have to align for No. 10 to tick each MLS city off his list.
“In a perfect world, the greatest player in the world would be able to play in every MLS stadium,” Courtemanche added. “But we are the largest topflight league in the world, and due to the number of clubs we have, it’s currently not possible.”
In an interview with Daily Hive, Inter Miami defender Kamal Miller said that the importance of Messi playing in front of other markets can be a huge difference-maker in helping to grow the game across the continent.
“There’s no one better to bring more attention to the game. We can have a game in Columbus, and there are probably thousands of people in that city wouldn’t who would have never thought to go to a soccer game,” the Canadian explained. “But now they know the best ever is going to be right down the road from them.”
Other questions regarding the stark differences in North American soccer have arisen, too. For example, as of now, there are still five MLS teams that use artificial turf playing surfaces, something international players like Messi are not necessarily used to playing on.
“We’ve seen many world-class players like David Beckham, Kaka, Thierry Henry come to our league and play on artificial surfaces during their time in MLS, where they had not done so previously in their careers,” said Courtemanche. “And ultimately, the decisions are going to be made by Tata Martino, Lionel Messi, and the sporting staff. It’s certainly something that we’ll have to play out over the course of time.”
Messi’s new contract, according to an EL PAÍS interview with Inter president Jorge Mas, will pay him between $50 and $60 million per year.
He is expected to debut on July 21 in a Leagues Cup game against Mexican club Cruz Azul.
All Inter Miami games along with every other MLS match can be streamed exclusively through the MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
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