Lionel Messi made his mark in Frisco, but his MLS impact could be even bigger

FRISCO — It has been 16 years since David Beckham arrived on these shores to reinvent and rebrand Major League Soccer as a member of the Los Angeles Galaxy. His first road trip here in the summer of 2007 produced heavy advanced ticket sales (although nothing like Sunday’s game) but it wasn’t much of a debut.

He was scratched with a sore ankle.

So the minute Lionel Messi took the Toyota Stadium field with Inter Miami CF, as an event this blew away anything FC Dallas has ever hosted and possibly ever will host. Beckham, who certainly elevated MLS in terms of television contracts and general interest, is now an even wealthier man and has a major ownership stake in the Miami club. But he was never really equal to what Messi became or solidified or rubber-stamped (depending upon one’s viewpoint) in last year’s triumphant World Cup for Argentina.

The man who has earned the title over a decade as the greatest soccer player in the world was right here to do his thing on a hot Sunday night that necessitated an 8:30 start time. FC Dallas held a pair of two-goal leads in the second half before the man people came to see went crazy to tie the game, then helped Miami win a shootout 5-3 after a 4-4 draw in regulation.

FC Dallas had no home game scheduled with Inter Miami this season. But with both teams winning their way into the round of 16 of this summer’s Leagues Cup, it turned out that the biggest soccer name in the world made his debut in the Miami pink road jersey right here.

A crowd of 19,096 turned up, occasionally chanting “Mes-si” but also cheering as the local team seemingly took control in the second half before allowing the game to go to penalty kicks.

Messi showed up and made his mark quickly. Then he got even better.

Messi had barely touched the ball in the opening minutes before Jordi Alba, a former Barcelona linemate making his starting debut with Miami, sent a perfect dropback pass to Messi just outside the box. The 36-year-old unloaded with his powerful left leg and drilled a shot past Dallas goalkeeper Maarten Paes. The referee initially waved it off due to interference on another Miami forward, but replay reversed that call and gave the visitors the 1-0 lead six minutes into the game.

Messi also set up the goal that closed Miami’s deficit to 4-3 around the 80-minute mark, then put the tying goal high into the upper right corner to tie the game at 84 minutes. In four games with Inter Miami, Messi has seven goals and two assists. If those aren’t GOAT numbers in this sport, then they don’t exist. He also scored the first of Miami’s five straight successful penalty kicks to secure the victory.

If the game-time temperature was a little warm for someone who has played his recent soccer in Paris, well, Messi knew what he signed up for when he made the ever humid Miami his home. Besides, while it’s hard to find specifics on his deal with MLS, on top of his salary Messi is getting a share of the league’s Apple TV+ revenue along with part of the profits from the league’s Adidas deal.

His impact on the MLS will be measured over time as we see how the league’s unusual TV deal pans out. For one night, it was easier to quantify. Where the average ticket price for FC Dallas games is listed at $45, the average price on the resale market Sunday was $864. When I looked at one site Saturday morning offering tickets for the sold-out match, the cheapest in one corner of the end zone was $473. If you wanted good seats at midfield, tickets were $1,475.

While we can assume Messi will make future appearances at Toyota Stadium, one has to wonder if he has a larger audience at AT&T Stadium in his future. It’s a certainty that some World Cup games will be played in Arlington in 2026 and, naturally, there’s a certain sense that because of the size of the stadium and the number of suites, it’s the perfect location for the World Cup final. At least a semifinal feels like a guarantee although New York, Los Angeles and Atlanta lead the pack as the cities competing for these mega-events.

Argentina would have to make it to the final four again, and Messi, at 39 in 2026, would have to still be competing although his current level of play doesn’t suggest an impending retirement. That’s a story for another time although something tells me the chances of Messi playing a game at AT&T sometime during the World Cup are pretty strong.

This week was a time for recognizing that Max Scherzer’s first game in Arlington wasn’t the biggest debut in these parts. When someone whose part of the GOAT discussion in the world’s biggest sport makes a guest appearance, it’s an event that’s not to be missed. Or matched.

On Twitter: @TimCowlishaw

Photos: Sold-out crowd in Frisco gets firsthand look at Messi’s magnificence

View Gallery

Find more FC Dallas coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.