The two most powerful men in MLS were in the building Sunday when Lionel Messi brought Inter Miami’s traveling circus into Dignity Health Sports Park.
Messi was on the field, where he scored the tying goal in a 1-1 draw with the Galaxy. Don Garber, the league’s commissioner and the other half of that powerful pair, watched the game from AEG’s corporate suite.
In his short time in MLS, Messi has pushed the league to new levels of revenue, interest and awareness. Inter Miami sells out wherever it plays, Royal Caribbean is giving the team more than $22 million for the shirts on their backs and the number of subscribers to the streaming service that broadcasts MLS games has more than doubled since Messi’s arrival.