Lionel Messi to MLS?.. The Saga Starts Part 1 [R]

Messi got desperate towards the end of the match with Orlando - I think it was still 2-0 at that point, and he dove shamelessly in the box. Should have been a yellow for simulation. And there was another one where it wasn't maybe so much of a dive but he was playing for a foul. Suarez is way, way worse. He'll start trying to cheat as soon as they fall behind.

 

All those who are shocked, shocked! raise your hand...

Somewhat related - I know the law says simulation MUST be booked for UB:

"There are different circumstances when a player must be cautioned for unsporting behaviour including if a player:

• attempts to deceive the referee, e.g. by feigning injury or pretending to have been fouled (simulation)"
  

but in reality, it's rarely so cut and dried, and in my experience - even at the younger levels - dragging out a yellow for simulation is almost universally met with loud indignation by players, coaches, spectators, etc. You can't change a long-established behavior by "empowering" referees - there has to be a cultural change and I have seen absolutely nothing from FIFA that indicates they are prepared to do this.

 

Messi and Miami looked horrible last night.

I think they need to sign some new players come June.

Their defense was just bad.

I think this is Messi's second yellow in successive games, first against the Quakes and now Orlando.

Unless the Disco gives him a break, he will probably be out next week against Philly.

 

I’ve seen bookings for simulation. But like anything else it’s a judgment call and would need to be fairly unequivocal. I think sometimes they are given retroactively. I thought this one was pretty blatant. Will they give Messi a retroactive yellow for simulation so that he has to miss the next game, when the team is struggling and the league’s whole marketing strategy is that Miami is a super team? Um, no…

Maybe Bruce, Messi’s new “caution protector”, will call the league’s office to make sure it doesn’t happen.

 

Yeah, the Laws of the Game have a Messi exception.

 

They're in there somewhere if you look hard enough. The fine print at the end?

 

The league just created a new "exceptional registration window" where (only) teams participating in the Club World Cup can transfer players in a 10-day window in early June. Let's call it the "Miami Needs A Bankie" transfer period.

 

Just in time for Miami to sign CR7 as I just read his contract with Al-Nassr is up.

 

Can he play defense?

 

No but along with the other old cronies, he can be part of the new Over 40 club!

Crisitano Ronaldo age 40

Oscar Ustari age 38

Luis Suárez 38

Lionel Messi 38

Jordi Alba 36

Sergio Busquets 37

How about 37.83 for an average age of 6 starters?

 

Messi wants MLS to investigate refs. Miami should investigate its defense instead

 

Yeah, ref-blaming isn't going to fix their problems. It only distracts them and delays them from fixing their issues. Maybe MLS ref'ing isn't great but unless he's gonna argue that they are biased against Miami (hah!) then the "badness" should affect each team equally. He should have received a yellow for simulation late in that game, for example.

 

So you're listing Cristiano Ronaldo who isn't even rumored to be coming to MLS to come up with your average age for those Inter Miami starters?

Inter Miami has also given more minutes to U23s than any other MLS team so far this season

𝐌𝐋𝐒 𝐔𝟐𝟑 𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐛 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝟏𝟑:

🏆 Inter Miami - 3567
🥈 Chicago Fire - 3353
🥉 Sporting Kansas City - 3016
4️⃣ Philadelphia Union - 2978 pic.twitter.com/aUNNTNttnk

— USMNT Report 🇺🇸🇹🇷 (@USMNTReport) May 19, 2025

 

I was being facetious about CR7!

Lighten up!

In other news....

Messi urges Miami to stay 'united' amid miserable run

 

Branding change? Miami United?

 

Gi

I thought Messi had a point about the Orlando GK picking up the back pass from his defender, which led to the GK getting an assist on a goal at the other end. Don't get the "intent" caveat to the rule. How do we know what the defender's intent was when he passed the ball back to the keeper?

 

Can never have too many. Need a FC at the end, though.

 

He may have had a point, but regardless you always have to play to the whistle. The Quakes have gotten burned on this multiple times this year (particularly Ricketts) by assuming that someone was offisde when he was ruled on.

 

I think I buy the explanation here:

The play in question doesn't really look like an intentional back pass to the keeper. It looked more like he was trying to lay it off toward his fellow defender but drifted past him, where it was picked up by GK Gallese. The angle of the strike just doesn't make sense otherwise. It's not reviewable by VAR either but it's certainly not an obviously wrong decision to allow the keeper to handle the ball.

 

Messi is "not obviously wrong" to be upset, either. Because the player made a backpass to his keeper, who picked it up before assisting on a goal at the other end.

The issue to me is why the backpass rule requires intentionality. This introduces unnecessary -- and unfalsifiable -- discretion into the call. The rule should be that if you pass the ball back to your keeper, he cannot pick it up. Period.

You good with an intentionality caveat for offside? For kicking a player in the head? Thought not.

The defect in this instance is with the game of soccer, not Messi.

 

Similar to what I don’t like about “passive offside”. The ref has to determine if the passive offside player(s) “interfered” with the defenders / GK. The bar is pretty high but it introduces judgement unnecessarily and leaves it open for abuse. I would in favor of - it’s offside when any player is offside. Maybe it would reduce scoring slightly but it would simplify the game and take more judgment out of the hands of the refs (always a good thing).

 

I’m told we may hear Dickerson’s side of it secondhand as told to local refs, in due course.

 

Geez sounds like marriage counseling or something. “I hear what you’re saying, honey” and “Make sure you respect each other’s boundaries!”.

 

I was taught you didn’t talk back to refs. Or judges.

“Bring your toothbrush.”