On July 15, Major League Soccer (MLS) outfit Inter Miami officially unveiled Lionel Messi as their marquee signing. As expected, the transfer has had a massive impact on the soccer scene in the United States. Global viewership and ticket prices are going through the roof, while local businesses are also benefitting from the Messi magic the country’s currently engulfed in.
Lionel Messi hits the road for the first time
Lionel Messi has played three games for Inter Miami so far, with all of them being Leagues Cup fixtures and taking place at the DRV PNK Stadium in Miami. On Sunday night (August 6), Messi will play his first away game in the Herons’ colors, with his team traveling to Frisco to take on FC Dallas in the round-of-16 of the Leagues Cup.
As per FC Dallas, tickets for Sunday’s knockout fixture were officially sold out less than 30 minutes after they went live. One could get still tickets from a resale marketplace, but they must be prepared to shell out close to $1000 for some of them.
Frisco anticipating “crazy” weekend
Businesses in Frisco are preparing to make the most of the Messi Mania, with mega stores like La Suprema Market stocking up on matchday essentials. Lilly Bannat, whose family owns La Suprema, has admitted that they do not know what to expect but feel that it would be a huge spectacle.
She said (via NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth):
“We’re doing different types of beer specials by the bucket, taco specials. Business-wise, I mean…we don’t know what to expect, but it’s going to be crazy.
“Any FC event that already happens in Frisco brings in a lot of attention to downtown Frisco, which us being a Hispanic location with the grocery store, meat department, and a restaurant…it already has that traffic. With Messi coming into town, we are definitely prepared and excited for that. It should be huge.”
The Barcelona legend has been firing on all cylinders since moving to Miami. Messi has racked up five goals in just three games, with him bagging a brace in each of his last two games. Given the form the 36-year-old is in, FC Dallas will need to do something spectacular to keep him from extending his goalscoring run to four games on Sunday.
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