Son Heung-min is about to break Messi's first record, Argentina team chooses to play in the US

New England Revolution have announced that their ticket sales have skyrocketed after Los Angeles FC striker Son Heung-min made his debut, potentially breaking Messi's first MLS record.

Son Heung-min is gradually approaching Messi's records

According to American journalist Favian Renkel, Son Heung-min is creating a huge fever in Los Angeles FC's shirt sales. In the near future, this Korean star will continue to make another breakthrough in attracting viewers right at away stadiums, similar to the Messi effect of Inter Miami.

Son Heung-min's appeal increases day by day in the US, competing with many of Messi's records

Photo: Reuters

Los Angeles FC will play away against New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium, which has a capacity of nearly 65,000 people, at 6:30 a.m. on August 17. This is a match in which Son Heung-min is likely to start, after he just debuted for more than 30 minutes and helped the home team draw 2-2 against Chicago Fire FC on August 10.

"With New England Revolution ticket sales soaring right now, there's a good chance Son Heung-min's first full game, albeit away from home, could break Messi's previous attendance records when he played for Inter Miami at Gillette Stadium.

Specifically, New England Revolution once set a record with 65,612 viewers watching the match against Inter Miami in April 2024 with the presence of Messi. Then, another match against Inter Miami in July 2025 with Messi also present attracted 43,293 viewers.

The average home attendance for the New England Revolution in the 2025 season is around 23,000. Only when Messi and Inter Miami come to play does the attendance skyrocket. Now it has come with the arrival of Son Heung-min.

The New England Revolution have clearly struck gold, with ticket sales now skyrocketing, with the lower-level sections (usually used for soccer games) already sold out and ensuring a small crowd of over 23,000. Meanwhile, the expanded 200-seat grandstands have been sold to thousands of fans. The 300-seat sections remain closed, but if demand increases, they will be opened to sell tickets to fans.

There is a good chance that the upcoming Son Heung-min match will help New England Revolution attract the same or more viewers than the last time Messi and Inter Miami came here in 2025," said Favian Renkel.

Messi will soon return to play for Inter Miami, this time with the appearance of Son Heung-min to compete

Photo: Reuters

The American press said that after the Messi effect is still hot, the appearance of Son Heung-min quickly left its mark, because this player is still at the peak of his form, through what has just helped Los Angeles FC immediately change its performance. Thanks to that, it has created a great attraction for viewers. The upcoming MLS (American professional soccer league) teams will benefit greatly, because not only Messi, but now Son Heung-min will attract a large audience to the stadium to watch them play.

At the same time Son Heung-min will have his first full match with Los Angeles FC, Messi has returned to training with Inter Miami and is expected to play in the match against LA Galaxy (also at 6:30 on August 17) at home. Messi has missed the last two matches due to injury, most recently his absence caused Inter Miami to lose 1-4 to rivals Orlando City SC.

Coach Mascherano is calculating to let Messi return to play part of the match against LA Galaxy to help the home team find victory and improve their position on the MLS rankings. Meanwhile, he is also saving his energy for this famous player to participate in the important match in the quarter-finals of the Leagues Cup against opponent Tigres UANL at home at 7am on August 21.

Argentina team officially chooses to play in the US, Messi is less stressed

According to journalist Gaston Edul of TyC Sports channel, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) has officially arranged to cancel the tour in China in October, choosing to compete in the United States in the cities of Chicago and New Jersey.

Argentina's October schedule includes two international friendlies on October 8 and October 14, with only one opponent currently confirmed, Mexico. The other opponent is yet to be determined.

"This change helps Messi and his teammates reduce stress about the team's match schedule. In total, Albiceleste will have 6 matches from now until the end of the year, including 2 matches in September to finish the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in South America. 2 matches in October in the US and November are 2 matches in Angola and Qatar against teams from these countries," said Gaston Edul.

Also according to Gaston Edul, AFA has received notice about the draw for the 2026 World Cup finals which will take place on December 5.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/son-heung-min-sap-pha-ky-luc-dau-tien-cua-messi-doi-tuyen-argentina-chon-da-o-my-185250814102410159.htm