Messi kicks off MLS season in key World Cup year

LOS ANGELES, United States, Feb 20 (AFP): Lionel Messi kicks off a critical season for Major League Soccer this weekend as the rapidly growing US domestic league seeks to cash in on a huge spike in interest from the upcoming World Cup.
Messi -- MLS's undisputed flagship star -- will lace up his boots for a fourth year with Inter Miami, who take on South Korean ace Son Heung-min's Los Angeles FC in Saturday's opener at the 70,000-capacity Memorial Coliseum. It is a suitably splashy start for a season that will be split in two by the 2026 World Cup, which takes place across the United States, Canada and Mexico this summer.
World Cup host countries typically see boosts in attendance and interest for their domestic leagues, and MLS bosses are determined to keep US eyeballs on the planet's biggest sport long after national teams have returned home.
"This is a massive year for Major League Soccer," said league commissioner Don Garber, describing the season as "a seminal moment for our sport."