MILES PARKS, HOST:
Major League Soccer, or MLS, may have just had its Caitlin Clark moment. Yesterday, Lionel Messi, one of the biggest stars in the world, led his team, Inter Miami, to its first-ever MLS Cup championship on national television. MLS has been fighting to break into the national spotlight for years. So could this be the moment that the league was waiting for? Paul Tenorio of The Athletic has been following Messi since he came to America in 2023, and he was at the MLS final yesterday. He joins us now. Paul Tenorio, welcome to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED.
PAUL TENORIO: Thank you so much for having me.
PARKS: So Messi is obviously a household name all over the world. But he is 38 now. Can you tell us a little bit about how important his play was both in the championship game yesterday and to Miami's season more broadly?
TENORIO: Yeah. Well, he continues to be what he's been for his entire career, which is alien-like, extraordinary, all season long. And he is expected to be named MVP for the second consecutive season in Major League Soccer. He had 29 goals, which led the league. He had 19 assists. And that includes in yesterday's championship game. He played a part in all three goals.
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UNIDENTIFIED ANNOUNCER: Messi, wonderful footwork - oh, it's an own goal (ph).
TENORIO: Messi worked a little bit of magic in between three different defenders to get free and play a ball in that eventually led to the goals.
PARKS: I have to be honest. Some of those numbers you just mentioned are kind of crazy, but I'm kind of surprised that the season-long numbers haven't kind of gotten more into the mainstream. Do you have any thoughts on why Messi's season hasn't been more of a mainstream thing this year?
TENORIO: Well, I mean, I think this is a big part of the struggle for Major League Soccer. They resonate quite strongly within their own fan base. The attendance at games around the nation is strong. People who are die-hard fans of Major League Soccer will tune in and watch and read anything about the league, but they haven't really been able to break into the mainstream, at least over the course of an entire season. There are leagues from all over the world, which are accessible to American fans, whether it's NBC in the Premier League or Champions League on CBS or Liga MX, which remains the most popular league on television in the United States. MLS hasn't quite carved out that audience. And with Messi, specifically, it's been tougher because they've been behind a paywall on Apple TV, and that's really hurt them in terms of growing audience.
PARKS: That makes a lot of sense. So Inter Miami signed Messi to this 2 1/2-year contract estimated at something like $150 million. What are they hoping comes with that contract, in addition to just his performance on the field?
TENORIO: I think they are hoping with Lionel Messi staying in Major League Soccer that it extends their ability to capitalize on the fans that Messi brings into the league. You know, I wrote a book called "The Messi Effect," which comes out on June 9, and it is about that exact conundrum that the league faces. Messi is not the easy button. He doesn't just make you popular right away. What he represents, though, is opportunity. There are people who tuned in to yesterday's MLS Cup to watch Messi win an MLS Cup, not to watch Inter Miami win. And now the league has to do something with it.
They are making changes - MLS is. They've changed the calendar. Beginning in 2027, they'll flip from a annual calendar to one that will closely align with the top European leagues. It'll run from July through May instead. They are in discussions to change the roster rules so that teams can spend more. The key there is that they need to turn those fans into higher media ratings so that they can get a bigger media deal. That's the lifeblood of sports in today's economy.
PARKS: That's The Athletic's Paul Tenorio. Thank you so much for talking with us.
TENORIO: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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