The league has already changed since the Argentine's arrival, but what can those in charge do to strike while the iron is hot?
Whether we look back in 10, 20, 50 or 100 years from now, there will always be a big circle around the 2023 MLS season. It's a year that will always be special in MLS history, one that will always be seen as a pivotal moment in American soccer's history. Lionel Messi, Lionel Messi, chose MLS in 2023, and everything that happens after that fact will feel the ripple effect of that decision.
The question now becomes, though, what that ripple effect will look like. How far will it stretch? How much will Messi's arrival shake up the league? When all of this is over, whenever Messi decides to step away, how much further will MLS have advanced from the one he arrived into?
That's what everyone's wondering as we head into the offseason, one that will be crucial for the league as they look to capitalize on Messi-mania. But how can they do that?
Getty ImagesMessi-mania
Messi, in signing for Inter Miami, very much broke the league's mold in many ways. In others, though, it was a familiar story for anyone that has followed the league for the last decade, even if the player involved was the highest-profile yet.
There is still a salary cap in MLS, and there are still limits on Designated Players, although the introduction of Targeted Allocation Money has helped fill out rosters quite a bit. There are, though, still all sorts of rules that anyone besides the die-hards that follow this league on a weekly basis will never really understand when it comes to building out the back half of MLS rosters.
That's where we are now, very much in a similar stage as when David Beckham, Messi's boss at Inter Miami, changed the league with his own arrival at LA Galaxy. However, while Beckham made MLS a popular destination for some of the game's biggest stars, Messi has insured that interest in the league has never been higher, as players from all over the world are seeking their own opportunities to play with or against the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner in the U.S.
"The magnitude of his decision to join MLS cannot be overstated," MLS commissioner Don Garber said. "He's playing in our league. We're now just not part of the global conversation of sports, but one of the biggest stories in the world and certainly one of the biggest stories this summer. The eyes of the world are now on Major League Soccer because the best player to ever play the game is here and he's succeeding."
Household names such as Luis Suarez, Antoine Griezmann, Hirving Lozano, Alexandre Lacazette, Luka Modric and Olivier Giroud are among those that have been linked in the league since Messi's arrival, and they won't be the last. Interest is sure to spike during the winter transfer window and into the summer, when players could make the move after playing in the European Championship or Copa America.
To sign those players, though, teams will need to fit them into the league's salary cap structure. But as we head into the offseason, there's still uncertainty of what that will look like.
AdvertisementGettyOwners divided
To understand why MLS is the way it is currently, you have to understand that this league is built on a history of failure. Every league that came before it failed, generally due to a lack of limitation on spending. Teams spent themselves to death by throwing money at a sport that just wasn't ready yet. MLS wasn't willing to let that happen and, less than 30 years from its founding, that's still the case.
Now, the other aspect of the league that you have to understand is that its owners are generally divided into two parties. One wants to push the limit, spend big and chase the idea of competing with the biggest teams in the world. The other wants steady growth and is not willing to really push the envelope when it comes to spending.
That divide has led to issues before. There have been debates about salary spends, transfer fees and even charter travel, while the league's biggest clubs have been caught several times bending the rules to fit their own ambitions. However, as ambitious as some owners are, there has always been another side that is more than happy with the league and its competitiveness staying as is.
That has served MLS well since its inception, as teams in every city have a realistic hope of competing at the top of the league. There is no Bayern Munich or Manchester City in this league, no super-clubs that dominate year in and year out. Two years ago, FC Cincinnati was the worst team in the league; in 2023, they had the best regular-season record, and not because they spent a lot, but because they spent well.
The league, realistically, is still operating with training wheels on, but with Messi now involved, it seems it's time to ride this bike as far as this league can. The first step to doing so is loosening the rules to allow clubs more freedom.
USA Today Sports No fourth DP incoming
Garber made it very clear at his State of the League address ahead of the MLS Cup final: Whatever changes that may be on their way, the Designated Player number isn't changing. However, that doesn't mean there won't be alterations made in terms of roster construction.
“We don’t plan to add a fourth DP, but there will be announcements coming out of our board meeting — which is next week — and we’ll have press availability after that with a number of exciting things that we’re doing," Garber said. "There will be some exciting things that we’re going to announce next week, but all that needs to go to group of owners, and we don’t have plans for a vote for a fourth DP.”
So what are those "exciting" changes? There have been reports and rumors that the MLS Board of Governors meetings were going to be particularly hot this offseason, and even without a DP number change, there could be some big decisions.
Will there be a big boost to the salary cap and, if so, what will it look like? Will teams get more TAM to have more flexibility within the current setup? Will the league think of more fun acronyms to add that will simply allow teams to bring in better players? We'll find out soon enough.
Getty ImagesSaudi shadow
At the moment, everything going on in MLS is immediately being compared to what's going on in the Saudi Pro League. While MLS got their GOAT in 2023 in Messi, Saudi Arabia signed theirs in Cristiano Ronaldo a few months prior. And while MLS has had a more measured response to that signing, Saudi Pro League clubs went all out to capitalize on the arrival of an icon of the modern game, signing several of the world's biggest names to ensure that Ronaldo wouldn't be the only star lighting up the Middle East.
Since the spending spree that brought the likes of Neymar, Sadio Mane, Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante and Roberto Firmino to the Pro League, many have waited for an MLS response. In truth, though, MLS can't and won't respond to spending of that magnitude.
“I think any emerging league needs to make whatever decisions make sense for them to try to be part of the global conversation, and that’s what the Saudis have done,” Garber told . “I’ve seen it so many times before, and, in some of those cases, it’s worked. In the case of China and the Chinese league, it hasn’t worked. Time will be the judge of if ’their plan was effective or not.
"It speaks to the challenger leagues making an important statement that it’s not just about the big leagues in Europe, it’s about the rest of the world, and we’re part of the rest of the world. So I am hoping that they’re successful. We’re not afraid of it or concerned about it.”