Next chapter of Messi's career begins today

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., July 20 (AP): The seats at DRV PNK Stadium filled up quickly with fans eager to get a glimpse at Inter Miami's new superstar.
Lionel Messi - arguably the greatest soccer player ever - stood on a runway in the middle of the field looking out at his new home.
"Thank you Miami," Messi said to the crowd. "I'm happy to be here with you all."
The next chapter of the 36-year-old's storied career will begin here. Not at Camp Nou in Barcelona or Parc des Princes in Paris. At Inter Miami's DRV PNK Stadium - a cozy venue in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, decorated with the team's pink and black colors.
Messi will make his Inter Miami debut Friday against Cruz Azul in the League's Cup. Coach Tata Martino told ESPN on Wednesday that he hasn't decided if Messi and fellow Inter Miami newcomer Sergio Busquets will start, or how long they will play.
When the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner announced in June that he would join Inter Miami, the club - which is only in its fourth season - had to rush to add renovations to the stadium to accommodate the added attention.
Inter Miami for now plays home matches at the 18,000-seat stadium about 45 minutes north of the site in Miami where the team wants to build a permanent complex. DRV PNK Stadium was built on the previously named Lockhart Stadium, which was originally designed for high school sports. It sits across the street from Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, where Messi and his family arrived last week.
Silver bleachers were added last week to the northeast and southeast corners, increasing capacity by about 3,000 seats. That will still leave it well short of the nearly 100,000 seats at Camp Nou, where Messi rose to international stardom.
"You probably could never add enough seats to accommodate all of the interest that the team is experiencing," said Stephanie Toothaker, outside counsel for Inter Miami. "I think we've done as much as we can in such a short period of time."
Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham can relate to the adjustment of coming from overseas to play in MLS. Beckham in 2007 joined the LA Galaxy after spending the early years of his career playing at Old Trafford with Manchester United then at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium with Real Madrid.
The league was much different when Beckham made his transition.
"I think there was 15 teams in the league at that point," Beckham said. "Not many teams had soccer-specific stadiums. Now, there's 30 teams in the league, and most of the teams have stadiums."