Lionel Messi Surprised by U.S., Canada Soccer Boom Ahead of ‘Special’ MLS Cup

The Argentine leads Inter Miami against Thomas Müller’s Vancouver Whitecaps in Saturday’s final.

Lionel Messi will play alongside Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets for the last time on Saturday. / Rich Storry/Getty Images

FORT LAUDERDALE — As Lionel Messi prepares to battle for his first league title outside Europe, he confessed he has been surprised by the passion for soccer displayed by fans across the United States and Canada.

When Messi arrived in Miami in 2023, he changed the trajectory of a club that had been in the doldrums of MLS since their inaugural 2020 campaign. His arrival in the league has prompted a drastic rise in support from across North America, the extent of which caught the Argentine by surprise.

With Saturday’s MLS Cup final against the Vancouver Whitecaps promising to be one of, if not the biggest in league history, Messi admitted he is expecting something special from those organizing the event.

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“I knew about Mexico, but I was a little more surprised about the passion that exists for soccer in the United States and in Canada,” he confessed in a rare interview with MLS Season Pass on Thursday.. “I believe that there has been a growth and an important change in the number of fans of the game who like to enjoy the show, who are also passionate.

“Both I and the people, I believe, expect something extraordinary because [in the U.S.] they are used to doing big events, and this is the most important event in soccer, and I believe that they are going to be up to the task so that people can come and enjoy everything.”

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Messi Hoping for Dream Send-Off for Alba, Busquets

Two of Messi’s closest friends will retire after Saturday’s game. / Megan Briggs/Getty Images

Inter Miami have played across the world since Messi signed, with the Concacaf Champions Cup taking the club to Canada, Jamaica, Mexico and across the U.S. In addition, friendlies have seen them visit Saudi Arabia, Japan, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama and Peru. 

Few games, though, will rival the stakes of Saturday’s match, which will see Spanish legends Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets hang up the boots, while Messi, Busquets, and Rodrigo De Paul look to become the first players to have an MLS Cup and World Cup title on their resumes. 

“It would be very nice for me, for them, for everyone, wouldn’t it, if they finish their careers with a title and in the best possible way,” Messi said of his retiring teammates.

“To add one more and retire with a good taste in their mouth and say goodbye to the United States with a title? It would be something very special.”

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Messi Braced for Tough Battle With Thomas Müller

Messi on facing Thomas Müller 👀

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Vancouver eliminated Miami from the Concacaf Champions Cup on aggregate, 5–1, in May. Since then, Messi and Miami have found form and signed another Argentina international in De Paul, while Vancouver inked Messi’s longtime foe, Thomas Müller. 

“It is nice that Müller has come to play in MLS and the repercussions that this represents, and it’s good that this final came to be and that we can face each other again,” Messi said.

“We know it's going to be a very, very tough game, and the addition of Müller coming to that team makes them much better still. It brings more awareness to the game, to the team, and it will be a very, very special final, which we hope will be in our favor.”

Messi has fallen in seven of his eight competitive meetings with Müller and MLS Cup is the first match since the 2014 FIFA World Cup final that will feature the two with a trophy on the line. 

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