“If you put Lionel Messi on the worst team in MLS, they’d still be the worst” – Ex-Inter Miami coach’s old comment on Messi resurfaces
The old comments of Inter Miami's former assistant coach Jason Kreis have resurfaced after Lionel Messi guided them to the Leagues Cup final. Kreis had claimed a few years ago that the Argentine would not improve the worst team in MLS as the quality around him would remain the same.
Messi has scored nine goals in six Leagues Cup matches so far, and helped Inter Miami reach the final. They take on Nashville SC on Saturday and will be aiming to win the trophy in the Argentine's first season.
Speaking to the media in 2014, Kreis claimed that Messi would not be able to make the worst team in MLS do any better. He believed that the quality of players was not good enough, and was quoted by the Daily Express as saying:
"I firmly believe that if you put Lionel Messi on the worst team in Major League Soccer, they would still be the worst team in Major League Soccer."
Inter Miami were at the bottom of the MLS table and on a winless run when Messi joined the club. He has now helped them go on a six-match winning streak, scoring in every single game.
Lionel Messi has saved MLS, claims former player
Former USA international Geoff Cameron believes Lionel Messi has saved MLS by moving to Inter Miami. He said the viewership numbers were dropping drastically but the move has now turned things around for the league.
Cameron was on talkSPORT when he claimed that the Argentine was among the best in the world, along with Cristiano Ronaldo.
"The impact he has had so far has been astronomical," he said. "The owners, I'm sure, are all happy. [With] the Apple deal, I think he saved the league, essentially [because] the subscribers and viewership was a bit down and they really wanted to push and people know what Messi brings."
"This is a guy that's one of the best players to have ever played and he and Ronaldo are two players that have changed the game in the most unbelievable way," he added. "Now Messi's coming here to the States, what his viewership [brings] and what he's accomplished just raises the level here in MLS."
Lionel Messi's MLS debut could happen at the New York Red Bulls later this month.