Lionel Messi is probably loving his life in the United States. It’s also the people of the country who are in awe of his time on the field there so far. Whenever the Argentinian superstar keeps his foot on the pitch, he leaves an indelible mark among spectators. In fact, he has also changed the dynamics of the league’s soccer.
People can see his goal-scoring show, and they are enjoying every bit of the attacking soccer. A former USMNT legend, who has even urged other teams to buy more attackers, enjoys this style of soccer a lot.
The USMNT legend urges MLS teams not to invest in defenders
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Messi’s arrival has somehow led to the inception of more attacking soccer in the MLS. This has even led former USMNT star Alexi Lalas to plead with other MLS teams not to invest in defenders. Rather, they should buy more attackers, as people are interested in seeing more goals on the board rather than a defensive play.
While speaking to StateFarm, Lalas said, “Why are you complaining that people aren’t defending more? This is for my defender, I don’t give a cr*p if the defenders are good. I wanna see goals. I wanna see attacking soccer. I don’t want MLS to now go run out and spend money on defenders. That’s not sexy; nobody gives a cr*p about that. People wanna see goals and Messi scores goals. People don’t want to see defending.”
This is nuts.
We all want to see more goals but not by design.
We want to see good offense be challenged by good defending and overcoming it.
This take is detrimental to MLS.
pic.twitter.com/VtLBzdaZuF— Tactical Manager (@ManagerTactical) August 7, 2023
Lalas insists it’s the attacking soccer that keeps the audience hooked, rather than just seeing the defending game. While highlighting Messi’s goal-scoring prowess, the legend wants other MLS sides to invest more in the attacking players.
Indeed, it’s quite a bold statement from Lalas. Perhaps seeing Messi’s heroics seemed to have gotten in his mind, as La Pulga isn’t stopping to show his magic.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
The Lionel Messi show continues!
Messi has made a phenomenal start for Inter Miami so far. The World Cup winner continues his goal-scoring streak in the round-of-16 game against FC Dallas yesterday. Not only did he bag two goals, but the 36-year-old even scored an outrageous free-kick in the last moments of the game. The wonder goal helped the Herons tie 4-4 and take the fixture to penalties.
Even in the penalty shootout, Messi exhibited nerves of steel. The skipper boldly took a brilliant shot from the spot, thus helping his side progress through the next round. He has now scored seven goals for David Beckham’s side. Let’s hope it stays that way throughout the season.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
WATCH THIS STORY: 2 Years After Wanting to ‘Kill’ Him, Lionel Messi Gifts One of His Iconic Awards to His World Cup Winning Teammate in a Wholesome Gesture