Major League Soccer’s Messi Mania Set To Reign for a Second Season

The last time the footballer Lionel Messi played at Dallas, the 20,000-seat venue wasn’t nearly big enough to fit all those wanting to see the soccer star. On Monday night, the 90,000-seat Cotton Bowl welcomed Mr. Messi and Inter Miami CF — the “Herons” — for its only American stop in a preseason world tour.Mr. Messi, who recently won his eighth Ballon d’Or award, played at Toyota Stadium at Frisco, Texas, last August in a Leagues Cup match, a month after the Argentine signed his historic deal to join the Major League Soccer team based outside of Fort Lauderdale. Mr. Messi had two goals that day and scored again in a dramatic penalty shootout.Monday’s game was a preseason friendly in preparation for the upcoming MLS season and served as the official resumption of the Messi Mania that has captivated soccer fans and left MLS teams looking to cash in on his global popularity. Despite cold and foggy conditions, tickets for Monday’s game ranged up to $500 for mid-level seats, according to Ticketmaster. Nosebleed tickets could be had for between $50 and $120.“To get to play against Lionel Messi is an unbelievable opportunity,” FC Dallas’s president, Dan Hunt, said, according to the Associated Press. “For most people, it’s a never. Most markets never bring him.” A crowd of 32,211, many wearing jackets and knit caps, braved 40-degree temperatures to watch Mr. Messi play 63 minutes in a 1-0 Dallas FC victory. Coming off a 0-0 draw against El Salvador in El Salvador last Friday, Inter Miami CF is still looking for its first point of the preseason.Winning matches appears secondary to building the hype surrounding Mr. Messi. Inter Miami CF players were welcomed like rock stars in El Salvador, as social media showed hundreds of fans swarming their buses upon arrival at the stadium. Some fans traveled for hours to see him at Dallas. The Herons now head to Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, Japan, and Argentina before returning to Florida. The MLS regular season begins on February 21.The soccer craze is real. The MLS enjoyed its best-attended year in 2023 and the popularity of soccer in America — which has long lagged behind the sport’s following worldwide — figures to grow with FIFA World Cup 2026 scheduled for North America and one of the sport’s most popular players — Mr. Messi — competing on American soil.During his short run last year, Mr. Messi, 36, lived up to lofty expectations when he led Inter Miami to a Leagues Cup title, the club’s first significant tournament victory.Inter Miami, headed by a partnership that includes a one-time star player, David Beckham, will compete in the Concacaf Champions Cup, which begins next month, and is expected to contend for an MLS title. Inter Miami has added a former Barcelona legend, Luis Suárez, to a roster that includes familiar teammates Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, and Julian Gressel.“This is a new challenge, a new team, with objectives that excite me very much,” Mr. Suárez said during a recent press conference in Florida. “I very much believe that football is always based on the challenges that you have to meet. Inter Miami showed me a nice opportunity to dream of winning the MLS [Cup], something the club hasn’t done yet. It’s good to come help a club that has great players that everyone already knows.”Hold on to your wallets, as everyone appears ready to cash in on Mr. Messi’s celebrity. Inflated ticket prices, like those at Dallas, will be the norm. Inter Miami ticket holders were notified in September of an impending increase in the price of season tickets for 2024. Prices were hiked between 30 percent and 112 percent, depending on location in DRV PNK Stadium, which seats 22,000. According to various reports, the least expensive season ticket has jumped to $884 from $485 last year. Another section increased to $7,650 from $3,609. Despite the price increase, season tickets for 2024 sold out in November. Single-game tickets, though, are available. A seat for the February 21 home opener against Real Salt Lake begins around $200. Tickets before Mr. Messi’s arrival in July 2023 were as low as $29 for a team that spent most of last year in the cellar of the Eastern Conference.Miami, especially its Latin community, has embraced the soccer star, with area restaurants naming burgers and other menu items after him. Mr. Messi purchased a $10 million waterfront mansion in an exclusive community at Fort Lauderdale and is often seen taking selfies with fans while shopping and eating out with family and friends.Mr. Messi’s two-year contract with Inter Miami runs through the 2025 season and is reportedly worth up to $150 million. It’s uncertain whether he’ll remain with the club beyond that, though Inter Miami is building a new 25,000-seat soccer stadium. That palace, Miami Freedom Park, is scheduled to open in 2025.

Major League Soccer’s Messi Mania Set To Reign for a Second Season

Major League Soccer’s Messi Mania Set To Reign for a Second Season

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