David Beckham's former LA Galaxy coach has predicted that the arrival of superstar Lionel Messi will be "tremendous" for MLS.
The signing of the Argentinian icon likely to help catapult the popularity of the sport stateside, with the fact that all tickets to see Inter Miami sold out within hours - demonstrating his unique star power. It is probably fair to say that the transfer has captured the public's imagination in a way not seen since Beckham's own move to to the LA Galaxy back in 2007.
Back then, the legendary Bruce Arena was in charge at Galaxy, and so he is well placed to predict the extent of the impact that the 35-year-old's arrival will have throughout the US.
The three-time MLS Cup winner oversaw the club's transformation following Beckham's move to Los Angeles and also witnessed the draw that the former Manchester United star was able to command.
Speaking after his New England Revolution side defeated the team Messi will be joining next month 3-1, he expressed his relief that he will not have to face the departing Paris Saint-Germain ace this season. "If [Lionel] Messi was on the field tonight, it would've been a real challenge for us," the official website of MLS. "We don’t have to play him anymore [for the remainder of the regular season], so it's good for us."
Clearly, with the Herons currently languishing at the bottom of the Western Conference, Messi has a lot of work to do upon his arrival in the Sunshine State. In fact, it is worth remembering that coach Phil Neville was dismissed after going on a dismal run of five defeats in a row, with this figure having extended following the defeat versus Arena's side.
Arena was quick to express the opinion that Miami's current roster is probably stronger than the one he was in charge of managing some 16 years ago when Beckham arrived in the US. He said: "It's not gonna be easy for Miami. But Miami has a better roster now than I had in LA coming in in 2008."
As he points out, following the signing of the former England captain, a turnaround in fortunes was not far around the corner, with a significant turnover of players occurring after he arrived in California. Eventually, the Galaxy would win the MLS Cup during successive seasons in 2011 and 2012.
Arena stated: "We brought in 19 new players the following year [2009] and made it to the MLS Cup Final. Then we obviously got a little bit better and all of that."
With 'Messi Mania' sweeping the US, it is likely that the Argentinian forward will prove to be a catalyst for both his club and the league itself in the coming years. This view is shared by Arena, who added: [Messi's] gonna have a tremendous impact for that team, for that city and the league. And that has to be good."
