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

It wasn’t nearly the dominant win that is implied in that headline though. The Gals played them pretty even and Miami didn’t score the winning goal until the 84th minute. Yet another escape job, It looked like the Gals might win for a while in the 2nd half - Paintsil was tormenting them, but the Gals were “subbed down the nub” by the end and conceded late.

 

Leagues Cup Semifinals: Messi Back for All-MLS Final Four?

 

Scaloni Makes Request Amid Uncertainty Over Messi’s Argentina Future

 

Like they are going to reject it......

 

Inter Miami Coach Mascherano Criticizes MLS’ Synthetic Pitches After Sounders Clash

 

Why does MLS market Messi, the best player in the history of the sport

 

Messi wins the golden boot and is on top in assists, and also finishes just 2 off the 34 total goal contributions record set by Carlos Vela, but Messi didn't play in as many games and only scored one PK, tonight in his second straight decision day hat trick (Vela 5 more games with 9 total penalties)...

 

Pretty amazing how Messi can practically will himself to get a hat trick.

 

Well he played a lot of World Cup games where he didn't score, and couldn't manage to win a WC until just recently, so maybe he can't quite "will" it. But regardless he scores a heck of a lot of goals.

 

Never got a goal against the Quakes.

 

Max Floriani defeats Lionel Messi!

 

That made me laugh. I get you're just talking about willing himself to do something which is just a joke to start with, but really comparing any other competition/league he's been in to MLS is hilarious.

 

The comment was "practically will himself to a hat trick" without qualification about the league / level of play. Messi is arguably the GOAT but he has failed many times to come thru in many big games at all levels including MLS (see Leagues Cup this year or their playoff series with Atlanta last year).

The reason I call it out is that there's this theory - part of "The Great Man Theory" that great players can magically will themselves to even greater heights in the big games! I don't believe that's true. They often do great in big games because they are great players not because they have magical powers to turn up the jets to another level when everyone else is also trying to turn up the jets. The "hero" in big games often turns out to be some run of the mill player who just happened to make a play at a critical time.

 

Yet his success rate is about the same (goals, assists, etc).

 

Yeah my comment was contextual to MLS today.

So it’s a remark on how good Messi is and how poor our league is, that he keeps doing the same moves over and over but is still so hard for our leagues players to stop

 

Yeah if Messi could score hat tricks at will he'd have more than two in his MLS career, even if both were on decision days... and he would have been able to score at least once vs the porous Quakes defense. But already we know that's not how team sports actually work.

Still we are fortunate to live in a time when you can see all time greats at various sports playing in this country, one inarguably (Messi was the GOAT well before winning the World Cup imo) and one arguably but who is at worst top two (Lebron James).

And then there's Victor Wembanyama who at just 21 is poised to do things never done before in basketball, and Shohei Ohtani who just yesterday probably had the best performance in the history of baseball (3 home runs, 6 scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts to clinch a World Series berth)...

 

And he's always done the same things against the best teams, in the most competitive games; Messi isn't any better or worse here than anywhere else.

 

I have seen Messi live three times playing for three different teams (Barca, PSG and Miami) against clubs from three different countries (Mexico, France and USA). Zero goals. And zero wins.

He hasn’t always done it.

 

We know that's how team sports work, but I still keep hearing this narrative that great players have the ability to "rise to the occasion" and go into some magical extra gear and come thru in critical games when it matters most. My point is that I don't believe that. They tend to do well in big games because they are great players, and great players tend to well in any game because they are great players, but they aren't able to magically elevate their game beyond that at will. If anything they will tend to do worse in big games because the big games tend to be against better competition.

 

Messi extends Inter Miami contract to 2028

 

He'll be 41 in 2028. He'll probably retire before then.

 

It’s nice of Messi to spend 5 years in the USA. It it also means none of his sons will become great footballers.

 

He can retire any time and move away if he wants. It may not be 5 years.

 

Beckham's sons played with the Galaxy academy I believe it was and they ended up quitting the game.

It's kind of difficult to follow in a famous father's footsteps.