“There will always be a before and after Messi when we talk about soccer in the US,” said Jorge Mas, co-owner of Inter Miami, for whom Lionel Messi is set to make his debut in the early hours of Saturday. After four years of hot and cold pursuit, Mas, whose brother, Jose, along with David Beckham, also has a stake in the Florida-based club, eventually secured the biggest signing in the US-based Major League Soccer (MLS) history last month.
At 5.30am IST on July 22, the before-Messi era in American soccer will officially come to a close as the Argentine World Cup winner is set to play a part in Miami’s Leagues Cup fixture against Mexican club Cruz Azul at the DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. This comes on the back of Messi’s formal unveiling last Sunday, when more than 20,000 people packed Miami’s home ground to witness the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner in the flesh.
Watch Messi on Apple TV+ through the MLS Season Pass
Messi chose to play for Miami over renewing with PSG or moving to Saudi Arabia to join Cristiano Ronaldo TT Archives
While thousands in the US will be paying sky-rocketing prices to watch Messi make his bow in person, how can you catch the GOAT from the comfort of your living room? In the absence of an official broadcaster of MLS and Leagues Cup games in India, the answer is Apple TV+ and its MLS Season Pass. It is not mandatory to own an Apple device to access either of these services. You can simply visit Apple TV+ on your computer or mobile phone and set up an account. Thereafter, a subscription for an MLS Season Pass, which will allow you to watch every single Messi match for Miami in addition to bags of other MLS content, will set you back by Rs 1,299 per month or by Rs 3,900 for the rest of the season (the MLS season usually takes place between February and December). However, should you also get an Apple TV+ subscription for Rs 99 per month (with a seven-day trial period), the fees for the MLS pass will come down to Rs 1,199 per month and Rs 2,900 for the rest of the season.
In case you do not wish to splash the cash for Messi, you can always gamble on finding unofficial streams on Twitter or YouTube. But for ardent Messi fans, this is not a sustainable option, as such streams often glitch and provide a low-quality experience even when they are working at full capacity.
A Barcelona reunion in Miami
Messi’s last club outing came in May for PSG, with whom he ended last season with 21 goals and 20 assists in all competitions TT Archives
As for Messi, his appearance against Cruz Azul will be his first in club colours since he ended last season with Paris Saint-Germain in France, having contributed 21 goals and 20 assists across all competitions. At Miami, Messi will be coached by Gerardo “Tata” Martino, hailing from Messi’s native Rosario in Argentina. The duo had worked together at Barcelona during a turbulent 2013-14 season as well as for the Argentine national team between 2014 and 2016.
Even though Miami’s current squad boasts little in the way of world-class talent to support Messi, the arrival of former Barcelona stalwarts, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, should be encouraging for Miami’s number 10. In fact, The Magic City could well be the place for a Barcelona reunion, as two more of Messi’s former teammates from Catalonia, Luis Suarez and Andres Iniesta, are also linked to join Miami in the coming weeks.
After winning the World Cup with Argentina in December, Messi is unlikely to be in peak form, either physically or mentally, even as Miami will need his inspiration to rise from the bottom of the Eastern Conference in the MLS. On Saturday, though, the challenge is a different one in the form of the regional club competition featuring MLS clubs and their counterparts from Mexico’s Liga MX. The tournament will involve two round-robin encounters before the jeopardy increases in the knockout contests. Miami will have their task cut out against Azul, the 2019 winners, but with Messi finally playing in pink, anything is possible.
