Messi can't save MLS image

Inter Miami advanced to the Club World Cup Round of 16 in impressive form, but behind them was an MLS side lost, outclassed and still struggling to find its identity.

At Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on the morning of June 24, where the lights of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup™ shone down on the American football pitch, Inter Miami wrote a chapter in the history of this country's football. They drew 2-2 with Palmeiras - the South American champions - and confidently advanced to the Round of 16. Along with a 2-1 victory over FC Porto earlier, Lionel Messi's team advanced from the group of death as one of the first representatives of MLS to do so.

But while the likes of Noah Allen and coach Javier Mascherano gleefully talk about "being able to compete with anyone," another question is worth asking: Does Inter Miami represent MLS - or just themselves?

Inter Miami - The Uncopyable Exception

In fact, while Inter Miami made a splash, the other two MLS representatives - Seattle Sounders and LAFC - fell quietly. Seattle failed to gain any points, while LAFC was eliminated early and even lost to Esperance Tunis - a team ranked 258th in the world , according to Opta. Of the three MLS teams in the tournament, only one remained, and that team had... Lionel Messi.

Since Messi arrived in the United States, Inter Miami has been a special project – not just within MLS, but an exception in the entire American sports model. They are the product of a deeply personal recruitment, a global network of relationships, and the irresistible attraction of the name “Messi”.

Messi brings talent, class and, above all, a winning mentality to Inter Miami. “He guides us,” says the club’s coach, Javier Mascherano. “Not just with technique but with desire. That permeates every young player, transforming a team that was unbalanced – due to MLS’s salary cap – into a cohesive unit that is hard to beat.”

But for that reason, Inter Miami is not a typical expression of MLS. They do not represent the development mechanism of the league. They are the product of an anomaly - a "superteam" created by a superhuman individual and global influence.

Look at the rest of MLS at the Club World Cup to see the truth. Seattle played hard, but didn't have a top-class striker to make it happen. LAFC fell to a much-underdog opponent in an inexcusable performance.

MLS has always dreamed of going global, even talking about catching up with the “Big 5 of Europe” in the next decade. But what the tournament has shown is a different truth: their clubs, without names like Messi or Suarez, are still behind the top representatives from Africa or South America.

The core issue is squad quality – and more specifically, investment. MLS doesn’t spend enough money on players who can make a difference. They produce promising young players, like Seattle’s Paul Rothrock, but they can’t produce a Pedro Neto, an Igor Jesus.

Inter Miami's success - mirror or mirage?

Inter Miami’s success, of course, should not be underestimated. Led by Messi, they beat a Portuguese side, drew with a Brazilian giant and are ready to challenge PSG. Inter Miami have shown that with a guiding star, a smart structure and a group that listens, an MLS team can compete at the top.

But to make that the norm, we cannot just rely on “attracting more Messi”. Not every club has Jorge Mas - a visionary and willing owner. Not every player has the charisma to attract Busquets, Suarez, Alba to play with them.

MLS has something to learn from Inter Miami – not the superstar model, but the spirit of thinking big, daring to break the rules, and daring to invest in real quality. When there are strict salary caps and centralized distribution structures, Inter Miami are the exception. And exceptions, by definition, cannot represent the majority.

Inter Miami will face PSG in the round of 16 – a clash that is highly anticipated not only for its technical aspects, but also for its symbolic significance: Messi facing his former team; a fledgling American club facing a European giant.

That match could have been the continuation of a fairy tale, or the end of a memorable adventure. But whatever the outcome, one thing is clear: the Messi project was real, and it paid off.

Only, that shouldn't give MLS any hope. If it wants to make real progress, the league needs to build its own foundations for the next Inter Miami - without waiting for a Messi-like god to save the day.

Until then, Messi remains the exception. And MLS remains a bystander.

Source: https://znews.vn/messi-khong-cuu-noi-hinh-anh-mls-post1563400.html