The Argentine has been as excellent as ever in his later years, but his presence and performance has yet to push MLS into the US mainstream
O
K, show of hands. How many of you knew that Lionel Messi – a global superstar who has committed to spend his next three years in the United States – just completed the best individual season in Major League Soccer history?
Be honest.
Most people will be vaguely unsurprised by this news. You’re aware that the greatest soccer player of all time is winding down his career in North America, playing for whichever one has those pink kits that dot the planet like a beautiful toxic slime mold. Context-free highlights drift past the periphery of your consciousness, floating on the algorithm, and you heard a rumor the kids have started calling Messi “braceman” because he scores two goals every game. Which, yeah, of course he does. He’s Messi.
