Lionel Messi’s start for Inter Miami is doing more than moving the needle for the Leagues Cup viewership numbers.

Never mind that Miami entered the month-long Leagues Cup break mired in dead last in Major League Soccer with 18 points. With Messi’s Major League Soccer debut still more than three weeks away, his new team’s odds of winning the MLS title are now among the top half of the league at most sportsbooks.

That includes at DraftKings, where Miami is now being offered at +1600 to win the MLS Cup. That’s ninth among the 29 MLS teams.

Their odds at BetMGM are a big longer at +1900, but that’s down significantly from +3300 before Messi’s debut.

That’s when the Argentinian superstar netted a last-second, free kick goal to lift Miami to a 2-1 win over Cruz Azul on Friday in the team’s League’s Cup opener. After that match, Miami’s MLS Cup odds shortened to +2500 at BetMGM.

Messi then scored a brace in Miami’s 4-0 romp over Atlanta United on Tuesday. With Messi yet to take the field in an MLS game, Miami’s odds shortened further to +1900, also the ninth-shortest among all teams.

BetMGM also reported that Miami now leads the league with 24.1 percent of the total bets placed on the MLS Cup winner.