Messi Mania is overwhelming the United States. As the 2024 MLS season approaches, Lionel Messi will begin his first full season across the Atlantic with Inter Miami. His arrival in Florida caused a record increase in the price of tickets at Lockhart Stadium in Miami, which were sold for more than 300 euros on average. This season again, the places were stormed by fans from all over the world – 44 countries represented compared to only 7 in 2023.
A surge in prices
Since November 2023, David Beckham’s club has sold all its tickets for the 2024 season. But Messi Mania is not only seen in Florida since the 25 best-selling matches each time feature the 2022 world champion’s club. The StupHub sales platform explains that the 10 clubs that sell the most tickets have quadrupled their sales this season thanks to the signing of Pulga. While as a whole, the 29 franchises made seven times more sales than last season.
“The impact of Messi’s arrival at Inter Miami CF continues to be considerable,” StubHub spokesperson Adam Budelli said in a Press release. The numbers are also exploding for broadcasters. Apple TV+ – official broadcaster of the MLS – signed a record contract of $2.5 billion for 10 years in 2023. The arrival of the Blaugrana legend in July 2023 caused the platform’s subscriptions to jump. Good news for the Ballon d’Or, which is gaining shares of the profits of the American streaming platform as part of its incredible contract in Florida.
In a closed league with a salary cap, his club pays him “only” 19 million euros per year. But to attract the former Parisian, MLS allows him to earn profits from TV rights and the sale of jerseys. An income which is closer to 50 million dollars while the southern state of the United States does not have local or national taxes for its taxpayers. Besides Messi, other players have juicy contracts like Lorenzo Insigne with Toronto FC (6.9 million per year), Xerdan Shaqiri at Chicago Fire (6.8 million) or Christian Benteke at DC United (3 .9 million).
A second star for Wilfried Nancy?
Reigning champion, the Columbus Crew of French coach Wilfried Nancy is putting its crown back on the line. The Le Havre native will try to take his team to the double. A rare performance in this championship since only three franchises have achieved the feat: DC United (1996-1997), the Houston Dynamo (2006-2007) and the Los Angeles Galaxy (2011-2012). The coach will be able to rely on a team very similar to that of last season with, in particular, the presence of former Toulouse player Steven Moreira. But competition will be tough within the Eastern Conference with the Inter Miami armada.
The franchise has several former FC Barcelona players: Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and Lionel Messi. Winners of the Leagues Cup – a mid-season trophy with Mexican clubs – in 2023, Tata Martino’s players are best placed to lift the MLS Cup in December 2024, according to the American sports betting company DraftKings. After a pre-season tour marked by controversy in Hong Kong following the absence of the Argentine star on the pitch, the Herons hope to discover the play-offs for the first time in their history.
Beaten in the conference finals, FC Cincinnati is also a serious contender. In the Western Conference, Los Angeles FC of former Stéphanois Denis Bouanga is also one of the favorites after its lost final the previous season. The Californian team will also be able to count on the reinforcement of the former captain of the France team Hugo Lloris in the cages. The Seattle Sounders will also be keen to confirm their second place in the West, acquired in 2023, after winning the CONCACAF Champions League in 2022.
MLS has the same model as other professional leagues in the United States. Like basketball with the NBA, the football league – or soccer in English – has 29 franchises divided into two conferences. At the end of the regular season, the eight best teams from each conference compete in the play-offs. However, the start of the season could be disrupted by a strike.
The referees could indeed not kick off the season. The mobilization of the men in green against the league revolves around remuneration and their travel conditions, deemed unsatisfactory by their union. But as during a previous strike in 2014, the league could resort to replacement referees if the union does not whistle the end of the mobilization by Wednesday February 21.
The first match between Inter Miami and Real Salt Lake illustrates the two opposing visions in the championship. On the one hand, a Miami team which capitalizes on thirty-year-olds. On the other, a club which relies on its young people like Diego Luna, a 20-year-old attacking midfielder, who made his first selection with the United States in January. MLS is a talent incubator for European clubs with the examples of Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich), Miguel Almiron (Newcastle United) and Tyler Adams (Leeds United), who left for Europe in recent years.
