Messi Is Turning MLS Into a League of Old Men

When Lionel Messi announced he was joining Inter Miami last summer, the administrators of US soccer hoped his glamor and skills would attract more fans and revenues to Major League Soccer. American fans, meanwhile, hoped his prestige would lure more world-class talent to the league.

They reasoned that if the MLS was good enough for the Argentinian superstar — his claim to being the GOAT enhanced by a newly acquired FIFA World Cup winner’s medal — then surely it was good enough for the other greats of the game, from Europe, Latin America and Africa. This would help raise standards in the MLS, expose American players to a higher quality of soccer and eventually benefit the US men’s national team.