Leo Messi changing the rules of the game. He filled every stadium he went to and the data encouraged MLS. Alfonso Mondelo, sports director of MLS, explained to EFE the plans for this competition after the arrival of the Argentine star. They handle the option to increase the number of designated players -those seeking to sign contracts over the salary cap-. In addition, it increases the tactical attention of its rivals.
“On an economic level, all the stadiums where Messi has gone to play are full. With the demand for those tickets shows the effect. And it’s above all the children. Now to everyone of cities we see children with Messi shirts. This is an effect on soccer in the United States that can be short and long term,” said Mondelo.
“At the Inter Miami game in Los Angeles, which has a very strong fan base that is very attached to its teams, there were a lot of pink Inter Miami t-shirts with Messi’s name on them,” he added.
‘Messimanía’ is more than Inter Miami. The ‘indirect’ effect of this is a goldmine for other clubs in the League. The Chicago Fire broke the box office record by filling Soldier Field with 62,124 spectators for the clash with Inter Miami. Merit of the fever to see Messi, with an ironic detail: the Argentine finally did not play due to injury.
Tickets to see Messi in New York, against the Red Bulls, or in Los Angeles, against LAFC, have an average price of $500.
The life of Messi, in an Apple TV documentary
Apple TV, which signed a ten-year deal with MLS last year for an estimated $2.5 billion to broadcast all matches, premiered the documentary ‘Messi comes to the United States’ on Wednesday, October 11.
This is a six-part series in which Apple TV cameras follow Messi’s new life in Miami, with unprecedented access.
“The arrival of Apple was a turning point for MLS. Wherever you are in the world, you can open the ‘iPad’ and watch the game. That’s also attractive for the players, who watch MLS. The players want to be part of this league. Messi’s arrival has an impact on subscriptions,” Mondelo told EFE.
“That gives another visibility. People don’t know what MLS soccer is. ‘What are the Yankees doing?’, ‘What are the gringos doing?’ Now you can see that football is on the rise,” he continued.
The numbers don’t lie. On the day of Messi’s debut at Inter Miami, the MLS Season Pass registered 110,000 new subscriptions, compared to 6,143 the previous day, according to a study by specialist data analysis company ‘Antenna’.
Raising the salary cap, “very possible”
With Messi as a great figure, the perception of MLS has not only changed in its presence in the media, but also among football players. This was recently recognized by the Swiss Xherdan Shaqiri, a true football globetrotter, European champion with Bayern Munich and Liverpool and former Inter Milan and Lyon player, now at the Fire.
“Of course we talk to each other (soccer friends) about MLS. They write to me, they ask me,” Shaqiri said after the recent Fire-Inter Miami. The Swiss also considers that MLS should have more flexibility in its transfer policy to encourage the arrival of more talent.
In this sense, MLS does not exclude that in the future its transfer policy will be changed to increase the number of so-called ‘designated players’, currently three per team, with access to contracts with very favorable economic conditions and higher. than the rest of his companions.
“MLS club owners have shown continued growth. The salary cap has been raised continuously, they show they want to help improve. ‘GAM’ (General Allocation Money) was created to help bring mid -level player “They are analyzing what can be done to improve. It is very possible that the possibility of adding another designated player will be examined,” Mondelo considered.
“All this is reviewed annually and the owners will make the final decision, as they are the investors,” he added.
Messi raised the tactical attention
Aside from the economic impact, Messi’s arrival has a strong impact on a tactical level in the United States. ‘Soccer’ matches used to be back-and-forth, marked by a lot of speed, not much strategy and by a tactical preparation that still has a lot of room for improvement.
Messi’s arrival is not just a push for rivals to be better, but an obligation. With number 10 on the field, the strategy of their rivals changed and there were matches with more tactical attention.
“Games are different when Messi plays. They play with calmness, with a pause, which is probably missing in North American football. Maybe they play faster than with strategy. Hopefully this is an effect that Messi in the long term. term, that teams will start playing with more precision and emphasis on protecting the ball,” highlighted Mondelo.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
