Messi full of praise for the USMNT: “They had a great World Cup”

Lionel Messi gave his first press conference as an Inter Miami player this week. The Argentine star spoke to the media and acknowledged that he is focused on the challenge of being able to win his first trophy with his new club on Saturday when Inter Miami take on Nashville SC in the Leagues Cup final.

Messi had already spoke about how he views soccer in the United States in an exclusive interview with TUDN, and admitted that he was surprised by how well the men’s national team performed at last year’s World Cup in Qatar.

“At international level, the US men’s team has grown a lot in just the last year. The results show that. They had a great World Cup. They left a great image, were competitive and competed on an equal footing against every team in every game they played. It took the Netherlands to eliminate them - a very tough side. In general, soccer is growing in the US and I hope it continues to do so. It also has room for improvement. I hope that the national team and soccer in the States in general, will soon start to achieve a lot,” Messi told reporters.

Messi’s thoughts on the MLS

The Argentine revealed that Miami was a city that he had already looked at as a potential destination together with his family and acknowledged that little by little he has been seeing how the league in which he will make his long-awaited debut next week is played.

“It is a very competitive league where any team can beat anyone else. Playing as the visiting team is difficult because the local teams are strong at their stadiums. I know that in this league, you have to go and play; the players compete to the same level as the Mexicans or more. There are a lot of things that can be discussed but it has been very difficult for the Mexican teams to beat the United States’ teams,” he added.

Finally, in an interview with ESPN, Messi added that MLS has all the conditions to fight with the European leagues and assured that: “It is at a moment in time where it can go one step further because several competitions are coming up and I think that’s something that helps world football, because this country has all the conditions and the infrastructure to watch and enjoy very good football”.