MLS
Dempsey heralds positive Messi impact
The former USMNT star Clint Dempsey affirmed that Lionel Messi’s arrival at Inter Miami has provided a major boost for soccer in the US.
Although his first season did not have a happy ending as Inter Miami fell short in securing a playoff place, Leo Messi moving to MLS has given the league and the sport a major boost in the US as they prepare to co-host the 2026 World Cup with Canada and Mexico.
North America is set to be a key destination for global soccer in the forthcoming years with the 2024 Copa America set to be played in the US and the new expanded FIFA Club World Cup 2025 set to act as a litmus test for the World Cup which will be staged a year later.
Dempsey on Messi
Clint Dempsey, one of the top scorers in the history of the United States national team, spoke to ESPN about what the arrival of one of the best soccer players in the world has meant for the United States.
“I would describe Messi coming to the States now in terms of what moves the needle,” said Dempsey in an interview with ESPN at an EA Sports FC release party in New York City. “Like in terms of the whole country, not just people who are soccer fans but the whole country when they pay attention and watch, it normally has to take a men’s or women’s World Cup, and with Messi coming in, he moves the needle like it’s a World Cup.”
Messi’s impact on the MLS
Since his arrival in the MLS, Messi has filled every stadium he has played at despite clubs inflating ticket prices when Inter Miami come to town.
“On an economic level, all the stadiums in which Messi has gone to play are full. That there is big demand for those tickets demonstrates the impact and there is also so much demand being coming from a younger demographic. Today in all cities across the US we see children wearing Messi shirts. It is an impact on soccer in the United States that can be positive in both short and long term,” claimed Alfonso Mondelo, sports director of the MLS, revealed during an interview with EFE.
Apple was another company to benefit from Messi’s arrival in the North American league. The MLS Season Pass had a total of 110,000 global subscriptions the day the Argentine made his debut with the Miami team in the Leagues Cup.
Despite winning the 2023 Leagues Cup, Messi and Inter Miami were eliminated from the playoffs after losing to FC Cincinnati and fell to Houston in the final of the US Open Cup and now only have to play two MLS regular season games against Charlotte FC.