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Inter Miami ace Lionel Messi has already broken the Internet with his performances for the club. The Argentine legend has won the Leagues Cup for David Beckham's franchise and has guided them to another final in the US Open Cup. Now, the world awaits his MLS debut. However, the former Barcelona man could already trigger a huge MLS rule change before making his debut.
Messi will make his MLS debut against the New York Red Bulls this weekend, and there are already discussions about changes in regulations within the hierarchy. The Athletic, a well-trusted newspaper outlet, spoke to multiple executives within the MLS clubs. They believe in order to maximize Messi's impact on U.S. soccer, teams must be more flexible in spending money on players and their wages. The MLS executives want the Argentine's impact to be better than Beckham when he moved to LA Galaxy in 2007.
Currently, MLS allows all 29 teams to have only three players designed to be above the league's salary cap. However, things are different at Inter Miami. Messi, who received a cut of Adidas' shirt sales and Apple TV MLS Season Pass sign-ups, has a huge contract alongside Sergio Busquets, Leonardo Campana and Jordi Alba.
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Alba, who is currently earning an annual salary of $1.65 million, was acquired through the use of TAM (targeted allocation money). TAM enables teams to sign players whose salaries exceed the league's maximum threshold of $2.8 million per team. Conversations regarding potential alterations to the roster regulations occurred during the MLS Board of Governors meeting held in Washington, D.C., in June. League executive Todd Durbin was responsible for assembling a presentation on this matter.
Some leaders within the league are of the opinion that changes are necessary to leverage the acquisition of Messi fully. On the other hand, Numerous voices are calling for a more equitable system that not only levels the playing field but also facilitates the recruitment of top-tier talent throughout the league. One notable recent development is the U-22 initiative, which has led to the arrival of several outstanding foreign talents who are now showcasing their skills in MLS.
