There's no denying that soccer in the United States has always had to compete, and usually play second fiddle to, leagues and sports like American football in the NFL, basketball in the NBA, and baseball in MLB - but that could change with Lionel Messi on US soil and the 2026 World Cup taking place in the near future.
The sport has continued to grow tremendously with the likes of Christian Pulisic and Gio Reyna stealing the spotlight for the US men's national team, and with the US women's national team winning two consecutive World Cups in recent times.
Now, with the game's best player banging in the goals in MLS, the sport seems primed to only become more popular ahead of the FIFA World Cup in 2026.
Messi, who's scored nine goals in six games for Inter Miami so far, has noticed the USMNT's improvement in recent years: "I think soccer in the United States has grown a lot over these last few years - the US national team’s results of late are proof of that," the 36-year-old said in Spanish during his first press conference as a Miami player.
"In the World Cup as well, the United States were a great team, very competitive. They played every opponent as equals in every World Cup game [in Qatar] they played," Messi added.
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In addition to national teams, club teams have also garnered more interest in recent years and that will only continue to grow with a player like Messi featuring across the nation. While MLS still brings in experienced players from abroad (like Messi himself and Asier Illarramendi to FC Dallas), there has been a shift in how many of the clubs have changed their ways of operating - by bringing in young, talented players from around the world and developing them on their way to success and titles.
Messi believes that MLS teams have done a solid job at bridging the gap between themselves and Liga MX clubs - all while competing on a salary cap.
"They [MLS teams] compete as equals against every [Liga MX] team. In this [Leagues] Cup it’s been shown that, well, no Mexican team reached the final," said Messi. "You can question a lot of things, but the reality is that all the games were very even, very competitive, anybody could beat anybody."
The 2022 World Cup and seven-time Ballon d'Or winner went on to say that he expects the same level of competitiveness that he's faced in Leagues Cup when he begins taking on more MLS sides.
"I have the feeling it’s the same in the league [MLS]. That it’s a very competitive league, anybody can beat anybody, teams playing at home are strong and it’s very hard to win on the road."
Messi hopes to lead Miami towards their first ever taste of silverware as the Herons take on Nashville SC in the 2023 Leagues Cup final on August 19.
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This article was originally published on 90min as Lionel Messi on soccer's growth in United States .
