ZWF: MLS is squandering Messi Mania
Zander's Weekend Facts #109: Sunday, March 10, 2024
Inside this week’s edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts, MLS is not taking advantage of the world’s best soccer player, and a look at what Zander’s been reading this past week. Plus, a compilation of the top headlines you need to know about from the last seven days.
Also, go listen to the latest episode of the Zander’s Facts Podcast! Episode 134 features a breakdown of the merger between grocery store chains Kroger and Albertsons. Download the Zander’s Facts podcast wherever you get your podcasts!
Here are Zander’s Weekend Facts for Sunday, March 10, 2024:
MLS risks wasting the greatness of Lionel Messi
On June 7, 2023, Major League Soccer had scored the signing of a lifetime. It was on that day less than one year ago that Lionel Messi had made his intentions clear: he would sign for Inter Miami and come to the United States.
It was the biggest coup American soccer had ever scored. And now they’re in danger of failing to capitalize.
Widely regarded as one of the game’s greatest players of all time, Lionel Messi stands in the rare atmosphere of having transcended not just sports, but life in general. Chances are you know the moniker of “Messi” and what it represents, even if you’ve never seen a professional soccer match in your life.
Messi is one of club soccer’s most decorated superstars, winning the domestic league a total of 12 times while at FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain. He won an additional 15 trophies in domestic tournaments while at those clubs, and is one of a few to have won four UEFA Champions League titles, club soccer’s top prize.
His individual accolades are even more impressive, holding the record for most Ballon d’Or awards at eight. He’s been declared the best player of the year by FIFA a total of four times and has scored the most goals in the UEFA Champions League in six separate seasons.
What had previously alluded Messi, success with his national team, is no longer a drawback to his impressive record. Messi finally led Argentina to glory by hoisting his first trophy with the national team in 2021 by besting arch-rivals Brazil in Copa América. And the next year brought the crowing achievement to one of the game’s most storied careers. In a thriller that the hundreds of millions who watched around the world will never forget, Messi went toe-to-toe with France and the sensational Kylian Mbappé, his PSG teammate in the World Cup Final. It took extra time - and eventually penalties - but Messi was at long last able to conquer the venerable 13.6 lbs. FIFA World Cup Trophy, producing images that will hold in every soccer fan’s memory for generations to come.
He’s conquered almost every aspect of the game, so what would he do next?
Attempt to do it on a rainy night in Seattle for the chance at MLS Cup, of course!
Messi’s move stateside last summer proved to those who for decades have been screaming from the rooftops “SOCCER IS COMING” that they were right. As a newly-expanded version of the game’s biggest tournament, the World Cup, prepares to envelop the union with soccer mania in just over two summers, Messi’s arrival provided the perfect opportunity for America’s top domestic league to finally become a power respected at home and abroad.
And while the sheer star power of Messi is allowing MLS’ biggest dreams to slowly become a reality, these developments are not occurring without pushback. Except the pushback is not coming from some outside power like Saudi Arabia who would like to seize the spotlight for themselves. The pushback is coming from MLS itself.
Because while the league is in the greatest position for growth and opportunity that it has ever come across, it continues to make decisions that appear dumbfounding on the surface and even more nonsensical when digging into the details.
For example, MLS is currently embroiled in a fight with the U.S. Soccer Federation over the United States’ longest-standing soccer tournament, the U.S. Open Cup. Back in December, MLS announced that it would not allow any of its 29 clubs to participate in the 110-year-old competition, which features hundreds of clubs - large and small - from across the U.S. soccer pyramid.
After U.S. Soccer denied MLS’ request to move forward with this proposal, the two went into negotiations on how to proceed. They exited talks last month by announcing that MLS would return to U.S. Open Cup, but with just eight clubs participating. Another 11 clubs would send their MLS Next Pro sides, a developmental league created three years ago.
A Sporting News article from earlier this month detailed the reasons MLS said they were limiting participation:
Nelson Rodriguez, EVP of sporting product and competition at Major League Soccer, pointed to economic and competitive factors in their decision to reduce participation of first-choice MLS clubs in the U.S. Open Cup.
Specifically, Rodriguez called out fixture congestion, player load, and "onerous hosting fees" as major contributors. The fixture congestion is why they decided to eliminate any clubs participating in CONCACAF Champions Cup (except defending champions Houston Dynamo) from also participating in the Open Cup.
And yet, this decision was no surprise to those who had been paying attention. MLS Commissioner Don Garber, who came to the league in 1999 after having worked in the NFL and having little to no experience in soccer, previously remarked that the U.S. Open Cup was “a very poor reflection on what it is that we're trying to do with soccer at the highest level.”
The first two reasons outlined in the aforementioned quote - fixture congestion and player load - have nothing to do with U.S. Soccer. In fact, they are entirely a problem created by MLS of their volition. Last year, MLS joined with its southern counterpart, Mexico’s Liga MX, to create the Leagues Cup, a competition that would pause both league’s seasons for nearly one month in the summer. The competition, which did produce some fun moments and yet another Lionel Messi trophy raising, added up to seven more matches that clubs would have to play. For MLS to now complain about fixture congestion when they themselves have added more and more games is pretty rich.
In regards to player load, the blame again falls to the league. MLS allows teams to field 30-player rosters, but only 20 players can be on the senior roster, about five fewer spots than many of the top leagues in Europe. But perhaps worst of all, MLS imposes a salary cap of just over $5 million. You can successfully argue that this cap has increased the parity of the league relative to its European counterparts, but you can also argue that it has hindered the league’s growth at times. It’s also added to confusion surrounding league rules, especially when Inter Miami are allowed to seemingly skirt these rules to sign Messi and those that have joined him. Expanding senior rosters, eliminating other arbitrary roster rules, and greatly expanding the salary cap are just a few of the implementations MLS, and MLS alone, can easily put forth.
It is true that the U.S. Open Cup is not exactly the pinnacle of exciting sporting competition: its matches do often fail to draw large crowds, watching the games in the U.S. can be troublesome, and MLS clubs had already begun fielding their reserve teams in years prior. However, this move would be akin to clubs in the Premier League withdrawing from England’s storied FA Cup. The backlash would be immense, unthinkable compared to American fan standards, and in a similar fashion to the failed Super League concept, clubs would likely have to backtrack and apologize to their fans. MLS is lucky that soccer has not grown to that level of widespread fandom yet in the States.
It would already be a major concern if that was the only problem the league has solely created, yet they continue to harm themselves. MLS is currently battling with its own referees, and it’s causing problems on the field. Before the season, the Professional Soccer Referees Association rejected a tentative labor contract with the Professional Referees Organization (PRO). With MLS’ blessing, PRO has locked out the league’s referees and has begun the season by using backup referees.
Now, nearly each week of the league’s young season has been marred by refereeing errors, as outlined in an ESPN article. While the backup referees have been making questionable calls on the field, perhaps the worst error was made off of it. Last week, PRO had to replace a referee who was scheduled to work the Inter Miami-Orlando City SC match when a picture surfaced online of that referee wearing Messi’s Miami kit. The result has been complaints from players, fans, and has resulted in headlines such as Goal.com’s “MLS must resolve referee lockout or risk Lionel Messi's first full season becoming a full-blown farce.”
Thankfully, MLS appears to be handling these challenges well. PRO, which receives funding from the league, has apparently threatened the referees’ union with replacing the tentative agreement with a worse offer if the referees do not agree by tomorrow. And according to reporting from The Athletic, MLS has instructed its broadcast teams to not harp on the replacement refs, even including example language to use.
Additional criticisms of the league include failing to market additional players and clubs beyond… you know who, and profiting over short-term gain while failing to see long-term value. In jacking up ticket prices for when Messi comes to town, MLS is choosing to take the profits now and risk failing to grow casuals into long-term fans when they can’t afford to attend a match.
However, these problems seem unlikely to create a chasm the league will never return from. What it may cause, however, is a league that fails to capitalize on the riches and rewards that having Lionel Messi brings.
Soccer in America has had opportunities of similar magnitude before. Remember in 1975 when Pelé, the greatest soccer player of his time, joined the New York Cosmos? Surely, the North American Soccer League was able to profit from having the game’s best player and was able to be successful for many, many years to come, right?
The NASL folded ten years later.
MLS likely doesn’t risk the possibility of disbandment, but it does risk failing to capitalize on a period of time in which the world of soccer will be centered on the United States. With Copa América coming stateside this summer, an expanded Club World Cup next year, and the crown jewel of them all, the World Cup, in 2026, there might never again be a time that so much quality soccer will be played in North America in such a short period time.
You would hope that MLS is increasingly taking steps to make sure it can maintain its growth, fan base, and success, long after Lionel Messi has stepped off the pitch for the final time. Yet, right now, it appears MLS is doing anything but.
For more information on this week’s top story, here’s an article from the Los Angeles Times - Commentary: MLS can’t afford to fumble its Messi moment and must make bold changes now
What Zander’s been reading
Exactly two months ago today, Nick Saban - perhaps the greatest coach in college football history - announced he was retiring. Here’s an inside look at how Alabama found their next coach, Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer, and why Saban believed this was the right time to step aside.
Check out this week’s featured article at ESPN - How Alabama moved from Nick Saban to Kalen DeBoer in 49 hours - (Apple News link)
Rapid-fire Facts
These are top news headlines from the past week in rapid-fire fashion:
State of the Union: President Joe Biden delivered the annual State of the Union address on Thursday night, less than eight months until November’s U.S. presidential election. Biden began by addressing U.S. commitment to Ukraine, while also hitting on the economy, abortion, and immigration throughout the 68-minute speech. Biden also mentioned his presumed election opponent, former President Donald Trump, invoking the words “my predecessor” 13 times. Coverage of the speech drew 32.2 million viewers, trailing only the 2022 version as Biden’s most-watched address to Congress.
Super Tuesday: 16 states held their presidential primary elections last Tuesday on what is dubbed Super Tuesday. In their respective parties’ contests, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump were overwhelmingly victorious, causing their challenges to exit the race. On the Democratic side, Minnesota Congressman Dean Phillips suspended his campaign on Wednesday, while former South Carolina Governor and U.N. Ambassador Nicki Haley exited the Republican race. Haley managed to win two contests, in Vermont and Washington, D.C., before calling it quits. Biden has only lost one contest in the Democratic primary, falling to businessman Jason Palmer in the American Samoa caucus, where 91 total votes were cast.
Sweden-NATO: Sweden became the second nation to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine on Thursday. Sweden officially became the 32nd member of the military alliance, which welcomed Finland last year. Russia, which has opposed NATO expansion, promised political and military measures in response. Ukraine applied for NATO membership in 2022 after Russia’s invasion, while Bosnia and Herzegovina, alongside Georgia, are also seen as aspiring members. After completing its ascension process in Washington, D.C., Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson attended U.S. President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on Thursday night.
France Abortion: France became the first country to inscribe the right to an abortion in the nation’s constitution last week. Last Monday, French lawmakers overwhelmingly voted to approve a constitutional amendment that explicitly guarantees abortion rights, approving the measure with a 780-72 vote. Then on Friday, which was also International Women’s Day, the amendment was sealed into France’s constitution during a public ceremony. French President Emmanuel Macron said that the move to enshrine abortion rights into the constitution came in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling overturning Roe v. Wade in 2022.
Alabama IVF: Alabama Governor Kay Ivey signed a bill giving immunity to patients and providers of in vitro fertilization on Wednesday. The new law comes after last month’s Alabama Supreme Court decision that declared frozen embryos as children, leading to the state’s IVF service providers to shut down. Many clinics in the state have since resumed treatments, although critics argue that the law does not address whether embryos are legally considered children.
Zander’s Facts Sporting Club
Here are the top headlines from the sports world in the Sporting Club:
Women’s College Basketball Conference Tournaments: Many of the major college basketball conferences are currently holding their women’s conference tournaments. Four of the power conferences will hold their championship games later today. #4 Notre Dame will face #2 NC State in the ACC Championship Game at 1:00 pm ET, #5 Nebraska takes on #2 Iowa in the Big Ten Championship Game at 12:00 pm ET, the Pac-12 Championship Game features #1 Stanford and #2 USC at 5:00 pm ET, and #2 LSU will battle #1 South Carolina in the SEC Championship Game at 3:00 pm ET. The ACC, Pac-12, and SEC games will air on ESPN, while the Big Ten’s title clash will air on CBS. On Saturday, UT Martin became the first team to clinch a berth to the NCAA Tournament by winning the Ohio Valley Conference tournament.
Men’s College Basketball: The men’s college basketball regular season is set to end today as the major conference tournaments begin later this week. #7 North Carolina clinched their first top seed in the ACC Tournament since 2017 with a win against rival #9 Duke on Saturday night. In their first year in the conference, #1 Houston took the top seed in the Big 12 Tournament. Both the ACC and Big 12 tournaments begin on Tuesday. The Big East, Big Ten, Pac-12, and SEC tournaments begin on Wednesday. #2 UConn took the top spot in the Big East, with #3 Purdue locking up the #1 seed in the Big Ten. In the Pac-12, #5 Arizona finished ahead of the rest of the conference, while #4 Tennessee grabbed the #1 seed in the SEC. The NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament bracket is set to be unveiled one week from today.
Dartmouth Men’s Basketball: The Dartmouth College men’s basketball team made history on Tuesday by becoming the first college athletes to join a union. The team voted 13-2 to join the SEIU Local 560, their local service employees union, in a first for collegiate athletics. The vote came after a regional director of the National Labor Relations Board ruled that the players were employees of the school, a ruling that came against the wishes of the university’s trustees. The university appealed the NLRB regional director’s decision on Tuesday and could appeal up to the U.S. Supreme Court. The players eventually hope to negotiate a collective bargaining agreement with the university.
English Premier League: Perhaps the most important match of the English Premier League season will take place later this morning as Liverpool host Manchester City. The match will kick off at 11:45 am ET and air on USA Network. Alongside Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City are currently locked in a three-way title race with just over two months until the season’s conclusion. Arsenal currently hold first place in the league with 64 points, although they have played one more game than both City and Liverpool. Liverpool stand in second with 63 points, while Man City are right behind with 62 points.
Concacaf W Gold Cup: The inaugural Concacaf W Gold Cup tournament concludes tonight as the United States Women’s National Team will face Brazil in the final. The match kicks off at 8:15 pm ET and will air on Paramount+. The USWNT needed penalties to get past Canada in the semifinals, with goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher blocking three of Canada’s penalties while scoring on her own attempt. Brazil have scored the most goals of any nation in the tournament, 15 in total, and took down Mexico 3-0 in their semifinal. The U.S., under interim manager Twila Kilgore, are looking to rebound from their Round of 16 exit at last summer’s Women’s World Cup with a trophy. Brazil can capture their first trophy since winning Copa America Femenina in 2022.
Wrapping up the Facts
Before this edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts wraps up, here’s another reminder to check out the latest episodes of the Zander’s Facts podcast. Download and listen to the latest episode of the podcast, along with every episode of Zander’s Facts, wherever you get your podcasts.
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That’s a wrap on this week’s edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts. The facts in print return next Sunday, March 17, 2024.
