The peveter that was built for the 1932 Olympic Games continues over the grand arches of the entrance to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Popularly known as The grand old lady, the coliseum was home to the Olympic Games in 1932 and 1984, and will be again in 2028. It is the only one of its kind. And, fittingly, he brags about it. Every corner of the stadium preserves the Olympic essence mixed with all the comforts and new technologies. There, under a very intense sun (30 degrees), the first day in the chaotic Los Angeles of the Barcelona expedition began with the first training session of the tour.
Meanwhile, 4,400 kilometers from the city of stars, Leo Messi was preparing for his debut with Inter Miami. Same as Busquets. There have been no entries for days. It was a public secret, but Leo Messi’s first match with Inter Miami, which will be played this Friday against Cruz Azul of Mexico in the first round of the Leagues Cup, is breaking all records. The cheapest entry is close to 433 euros. The most expensive exceeds 1,500 euros. Despite the prices, there won’t be an empty space at the 21,000-capacity Drive Pink Stadium, the home of Messi’s club. The boom that has involved the Argentine does not end here. There are virtually no tickets for those who want to see him play in the Leagues Cup, a competition in which 47 teams will compete for the first time since it was created in 2019. 18th in the Mexican League and 29th in the MLS. On the horizon, the United States, Mexico and Canada are already thinking about the organization and the American brand for the 2026 World Cup. And, of course, the Argentine is part of the commercial strategy. In Los Angeles, Barcelona will be awaiting the debut of both. “I was excited for Leo to come back. But it couldn’t be – acknowledged Ronald Araújo -. But he is at a good club. He will enjoy his family and football and that is the most important thing”, added the Uruguayan in reference to the growth of Major League Soccer, which this 2023 celebrates its 28th season with 30 clubs.
But how has it evolved? Is it still a minor league? “In the first years of MLS, you almost had to beg the players to come. Now they contact us. Young people come and MLS trains footballers who go to Europe”, assures La Vanguardia Alfonso Mondelo, sports director of MLS for 29 years. “Inter Miami, without going any further, is a club that has three years of life”, adds Albert Rudé, who was part of the first coaching staff in the history of the Florida club, with Diego Alonso as coach. “When we came we started from scratch. It was a club without a history, without an identity, and without an established way of working. The facilities were not yet finished and of course there was no game model”.
The landing of Messi and Busquets undoubtedly helps to expand Inter Miami and an increasingly popular League. “Messi’s arrival is a declaration of intent for who we are. The other clubs reacted well to the two arrivals, they know it’s good for everyone”, adds Mondelo. And warns: “Messi will have pressure. There is more and more competition. People are looking for spectacle but also results. Footballers don’t come for a walk. But it’s a different kind of pressure, more media than sporting,” says Rudé.
Messi and Busquets arrive occupying positions of franchise footballers, who travel outside the regulations of American financial fair play. “The salary limit is a barrier that we impose and that the teams cannot exceed. For this season the established limit is 5.2 million dollars. The money is distributed among the 18-20 players who make up the first team”, explains Mondelo. However, there are exceptions. In order to attract great players, it was decided to give three exemptions to each team to sign players without their arrival influencing the salary cap. It is the case of Messi and Busquets in Miami. Also by Josef Martínez. The other exception to the financial rule is the category called Targeted Allocation Money (TAM). To achieve it, the tournament authorities authorized the delivery of around 37 million dollars in TAM to be distributed among its 20 teams. This is the case of Jordi Alba, whose signing has become official. “It is usually used when a player cannot occupy the franchise position but is important for the team. Everything can change the following year”, explains Mondelo.
At the same time, in 1999 the League began a strategic move to create personalized stadiums for its teams that would generate the atmosphere and intimacy that football deserves. The capacity of the stadiums fluctuates between 18,000 and 30,000 spectators and they have conceptual designs. In 2023, there are 22 MLS clubs playing home games in stadiums built for soccer. In 2025 there will be one more. The Miami Freedom Park, of Messi’s Inter Miami.
