Pelé, Cruyff, Beckenbauer, Ibrahimovic… The list of stars playing in the USA is long and flamboyant. However Major League Soccer remains the smallest of the major North American leagues, far behind the ‘big four’: basketball, American football, baseball and hockey. his arrival Leo Messi A new initiative to increase interest in this sport in a country that will organize the next World Cup together with Mexico and Canada in 2026.
Leo’s new boss, David Beckham (and who knows, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets), knows better than anyone the tough roots of ‘soccer’ on American soil. In the country where you think of helmets and ‘goals’ when you speak of football, the first major attempt to transfer ‘other football’ was in 1968, with the North American Football League in the decade of the ’70s. , Cruyff, Pelé, Eusebio, Beckenbauer, Muller and Best and others paraded. Despite efforts, ‘soccer’ failed to connect with the public and the league was closed in 1985.
The ‘galactic’ that saved the league
With the World Cup hosted by the USA in 1994, it took almost a decade for football to fill the stadiums again. The local team, led by the iconic goatee of Alexis Lalas, who will play a key role in the league’s revival, performed well. was renamed MLS in 1996. as president of Los Angeles GalaxyLalas convinced Beckham to switch Madrid to California in 2007.. He added a $25 million franchise clause to his ‘Galactic’ contract at will.
“Spice Boy” saved the league from another extinction and stabilized it once and for all: there were only four teams when he arrived and 19 when he retired in 2013. The following year, MLS announced that the former Real Madrid player would become a co-owner of a team. new club: Inter Miami. Although he sold some of his shares to businessmen Jorge Mas and Jose Mas, Beckham owns a 10% stake and remains the face of the club.. Now he and his associates hope that the arrival of the world champion will be the final move for the league in general and his team in particular.
$29 to $10,000
“When we talk about sports in the US, it will be before and after Messi,” said Jorge Mas. “Messi will be the greatest ambassador in MLS history. An incredible event for the league, for all owners and teams. There will be a rising wave on all fronts,” predicted the president of Zaragoza at the same time.
Preliminary figures prove the ‘tsunami Leo’ effect already: Tickets for the Inter Miami-Cruz Azul game on July 21, when the former Azulgrana made their debut, went from $29 to $329 in just 24 hours. Wednesday was 1,319 the cheapest and 10,000 the most expensive. Although the club will increase its stadium to 3,000 spectators, it is not enough for the avalanche of requests. “All matches will be sold out. It’s 10 times more demand than we can meet with a season ticket.”, explained Jorge Mas.
Inter, currently at the bottom of the MLS Eastern Conference, has seen their Instagram followers grow from one million to 8.3 million; That’s more than any MLS franchise, plus hockey, baseball, and American football. Only four NBA teams surpass it in the US: Warriors, Lakers, Cavaliers, and Bulls.
Announcing that it would pay $2.5 billion last year to stream MLS worldwide for 10 years, Apple played a key role in signing the summer.By offering Leo a percentage of new hires. Signing an $830 million deal this year to equip all MLS teams by 2030, Adidas has also offered the emblem part of its new jersey sales.
Bojan: “A gift for the league”
The contract of the best player in history will be terminated two and a half years at more than $50 million a year and will also include joining the club during his term. If Beckham bought his franchise for $25 million in 2014, it was announced last month that his 30th MLS team would be in the 500 in San Diego. Leo’s arrival heralds a revaluation in the market value of all teams.
“It’s a gift for the League and Inter. After a tough first few years in Miami, Beckham was sure he wanted to wear it for a long time,” he says. Bojan Krkic. The former forward, who won two Champions Leagues with Leo, played for Montreal Impact from 2019-2021.I have great memories of MLS and I’m sure Leo will have it too – he’s guessing. It is a league that is constantly growing, developing and has a very good projection. Football is far from being a popular sport in the US, but the league is making a name for itself around the world: It is far from European leagues, although there are more and more levels and franchises”. In this goal of gaining prominence, he believes the inclusion of Messi “will be of great interest to the public and players who want to play with and against Leo”. It will provide a lot of visibility. I’m sure Leo will enjoy MLS a lot,” the former Barcelona player concludes.
Pelé, Cruyff, Beckenbauer, Ibrahimovic… The list of stars playing in the USA is long and flamboyant. However Major League Soccer remains the smallest of the major North American leagues, far behind the ‘big four’: basketball, American football, baseball and hockey. his arrival Leo Messi A new initiative to increase interest in this sport in a country that will organize the next World Cup together with Mexico and Canada in 2026.
Leo’s new boss, David Beckham (and who knows, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets), knows better than anyone the tough roots of ‘soccer’ on American soil. In the country where you think of helmets and ‘goals’ when you speak of football, the first major attempt to transfer ‘other football’ was in 1968, with the North American Football League in the decade of the ’70s. , Cruyff, Pelé, Eusebio, Beckenbauer, Muller and Best and others paraded. Despite efforts, ‘soccer’ failed to connect with the public and the league was closed in 1985.
The ‘galactic’ that saved the league
With the World Cup hosted by the USA in 1994, it took almost a decade for football to fill the stadiums again. The local team, led by the iconic goatee of Alexis Lalas, who will play a key role in the league’s revival, performed well. was renamed MLS in 1996. as president of Los Angeles GalaxyLalas convinced Beckham to switch Madrid to California in 2007.. He added a $25 million franchise clause to his ‘Galactic’ contract at will.
“Spice Boy” saved the league from another extinction and stabilized it definitively: there were only four teams when he arrived and 19 when he retired in 2013. The following year, MLS announced that the former Real Madrid player would become a co-owner of a team. new club: Inter Miami. Although he sold some of his shares to businessmen Jorge Mas and Jose Mas, Beckham owns a 10% stake and remains the face of the club.. Now he and his associates hope that the arrival of the world champion will be the final move for the league in general and his team in particular.
$29 to $10,000
“When we talk about sports in the US, it will be before and after Messi,” said Jorge Mas. “Messi will be the greatest ambassador in MLS history. An incredible event for the league, for all owners and teams. There will be a rising wave on all fronts,” predicted the president of Zaragoza at the same time.
Preliminary figures prove the ‘tsunami Leo’ effect already: Tickets for the Inter Miami-Cruz Azul game on July 21, when the former Azulgrana made their debut, went from $29 to $329 in just 24 hours. Wednesday was 1,319 the cheapest and 10,000 the most expensive. Although the club will increase its stadium to 3,000 spectators, it is not enough for the avalanche of requests. “All matches will be sold out. It’s 10 times more demand than we can meet with a season ticket.”, explained Jorge Mas.
Inter, currently at the bottom of the MLS Eastern Conference, has seen their Instagram followers grow from one million to 8.3 million; That’s more than any MLS franchise, plus hockey, baseball, and American football. Only four NBA teams surpass it in the US: Warriors, Lakers, Cavaliers, and Bulls.
Announcing that it would pay $2.5 billion last year to stream MLS worldwide for 10 years, Apple played a key role in signing the summer.By offering Leo a percentage of new hires. Signing an $830 million deal this year to equip all MLS teams by 2030, Adidas has also offered the emblem part of its new jersey sales.
Bojan: “A gift for the league”
The contract of the best player in history will be terminated two and a half years at more than $50 million a year and will also include joining the club during his term. If Beckham bought his franchise for $25 million in 2014, it was announced last month that his 30th MLS team would be in the 500 in San Diego. Leo’s arrival heralds a revaluation in the market value of all teams.
“It’s a gift for the League and Inter. After a tough first few years in Miami, Beckham was sure he wanted to wear it for a long time,” he says. Bojan Krkic. The former forward, who won two Champions Leagues with Leo, played for Montreal Impact from 2019-2021.I have great memories of MLS and I’m sure Leo will have it too – he’s guessing. It is a league that is constantly growing, developing and has a very good projection. Football is far from being a popular sport in the US, but the league is making a name for itself around the world: It is far from European leagues, although there are more and more levels and franchises”. In this goal of gaining prominence, he believes the inclusion of Messi “will be of great interest to the public and players who want to play with and against Leo”. It will provide a lot of visibility. I’m sure Leo will enjoy MLS a lot,” the former Barcelona player concludes.