Leo Messi & Miami: MLS Supporters’ Dilemma
By: Anthony Tazbaz
Image Credit: Mackenzie Marco
In the wake of Inter Miami's Leagues Cup triumph, New Jersey will get to experience something special: Leo Messi finally making his long-awaited MLS debut next weekend on August 26 in Harrison against the New York Red Bulls.
This is good news, right? Well, depends on who you ask.
Despite Messi taking his talents to your local stadium, many fans may not be able to afford to go see him, whether it is due to high prices or the lack of tickets available.
Tickets for Saturday's Leagues Cup final at Geodis Park in Nashville were sold out within eight minutes, with the cheapest tickets priced at $US442, which surpass the cheapest tickets from last year's UEFA Champions League final between Manchester City and Inter Milan in Istanbul. Resale tickets were being marketed at $2,500 (Daily Mail).
Messi's long-awaited MLS debut next Saturday has tickets at Red Bull Arena starting at $US496, with some going as high as $10,000.
A Deeper Look
This is becoming a concerning trend for the average soccer fan, who likely falls in an economic class where a $400 individual ticket could create a hole in a household's monthly budget. Should an entire household of four attend the match, one night out can equate the expenses of a mini, albeit frugal, weekend getaway.
Tickets for the Round of 16 match in the Leagues Cup between Miami and Dallas included tickets ranging from $600 to $20,000 - the price of a used car in decent condition nowadays. This is more than double the average cost to attend Super Bowl 57!
For several clubs, such ticket sales can be a tremendous source of income, especially when considering that FC Dallas's Toyota Stadium holds a capacity of 20,500 and Miami's DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale boasts a capacity of 21,000 supporters, with a jump in celebrity fans.
A Boon for MLS?
This surely could be, as previously mentioned, clubs can generate higher revenue as longtime Messi fans will undoubtedly splash the cash on such an event — just look at the Swifties.
In addition to Messi, supporters can also enjoy watching the likes of former Barcelona cornerstones Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba. MLS fans can also witness 2018 MLS Golden Boot and MVP winner Josef Martinez connect with the former Barcelona stars, young talents such as Benjamin Cremaschi, and USMNT defender (and former Miami captain before Messi's arrival) DeAndre Yedlin.
Canadians will have the chance to see CANMNT centre-back Kamal Miller, who played a massive role in CF Montréal's historic 2022 season and Canada's qualifying run to the 2022 World Cup.
Beyond tickets sales, subscriptions for MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+, the main broadcaster of MLS matches, have skyrocketed. Although there are no official numbers from the weeks prior to Messi's arrival and today, the subscription service raked in almost 1 million subscribers since the start of this season, its inaugural season as part of the lucrative multi-year deal.
Bottom Line
Miami, who currently sit at the bottom of the MLS standings, struggled selling tickets, with average tickets priced at $31. Now, the DRV PNK Stadium will be more expensive to attend, especially when you factor additional fees charged by platforms such as StubHub, which charged supporters up to over $100.
In a previous article, we discussed the potential of Messi, Miami, and the MLS, which were overall nothing of great significance - maybe a playoffs appearance at best. However, at the time of writing, Miami had yet to touch base with Busquets and Alba, while the potential appointment of renowned head coach Tata Martino was merely a rumour.
Having now led Miami to its first piece of silverware after only one month and 10 goals later (he won the Golden Boot), the possibilities for Miami seem nearly endless. Qualification for the playoffs is still a possibility, and with such momentum, qualifying could be the start of a possible journey to the championship.
Towards a Brighter Future
Messi's arrival, coupled with rising ticket prices, will force MLS clubs to enforce a high standard to justify their inflated ticket prices beyond Messi's MLS stint. Clubs should further focus on global recruitment, domestic development via their academies and combines via the NCAA, and lure in disgruntled star players in Europe, as was the case with Messi.
Although MLS clubs are generally on a positive trajectory with respect to the first two points, they will need to now compete with Saudi Arabia. North America still boasts more open societies with even better year-around warm weather — look no further than Miami, LA, Atlanta, etc.
While salaries are more lucrative and competition in the Saudi Pro League is growing at ludicrous speed, North America's infrastructure is better established and has room to further expand, should they consider creating a promotion/relegation system amongst MLS itself and/or integrate USL markets as part of lower divisions.
For now, talent is better distributed among MLS clubs, and the USL Pro division clubs (highest USL division, 1/3) are far better than a second or third division club anywhere in the Middle East.
However, continuous flows of foreign cash in the form of league growth and high salaries will far outmuscle any league going through a period of stagnation, or even complacency. MLS and America may have scored a massive goal with Messi choosing Miami over Al-Hilal, but they will need to continue building a foundation and strengthening their identity to win the game.
