'It's blown me away': Even USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter has Messi Mania
Messia Mania has spread to the U.S. men’s team.
Coach Gregg Berhalter said Wednesday he’s been "blown away" by the impact Lionel Messi has had since joining MLS. The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner and World Cup champion spurned interest from top-level clubs and Saudi Arabia to sign with Inter Miami in July and has drawn sold-out crowds at every game he’s played.
"The first thing is, hats off to Inter Miami and the ownership group of the Mas brothers and David Beckham for what they’ve done for MLS. You have this idea of what it could be, of what MLS is, and then you totally break the mold by getting someone like Messi and taking it to a different level," said Berhalter, who took over the USMNT after coaching the Columbus Crew for five seasons.
"It’s been amazing exposure."
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Messi hasn’t just upped the public profile of the league, however. Inter Miami is unbeaten in the nine games since Messi joined the team July 21 and is no longer at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. Inter Miami won the Leagues Cup on Aug. 19, beating Nashville SC in a penalty shootout.
Messi has scored 11 goals in nine games, and also has two assists. He also enticed Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, teammates when he was at Barcelona, to join Inter Miami.
"Overall, it’s blown me away, the impact Lionel Messi can have,” Berhalter said. “And not only him, but when you bring Busquets and Alba into it, how it can translate onto the field. That’s been really interesting to watch."