For reference to the sort of impact Messi will have on his new club overnight: Cristiano Ronaldo moved from Real Madrid to Juventus a couple years ago. Juventus sold over 500,000 Ronaldo shirts and gained over 1 million Twitter followers in his first 24 hours there.
On the topic of soccer in general, the USA men's team won the new CONCACAF Nations League and the CONCACAF Gold Cup this season, both over Mexico. We have an incredible number of promising younger players age 18-24 playing for major European clubs. A complete roster overhaul from just a few years ago. It's a great time to get in on the ground floor before the 2022 World Cup qualifying later this year, and ESPECIALLY when all these players become veterans and we take World Cup North America 2026 by storm.
To illustrate, here is the makeup of the team now and 3 years ago...
2021 Nations League Final Winners
- Starting XI: 10 players in Europe, 1 MLS player (who was actually pretty good), 3 starters over 25yo
- Substitutes: 5 players in Europe, 1 MLS player
- Bench: 4 players in Europe, 2 MLS players
Total Europe: 19
Total MLS: 4
Players over 25yo: 5
2017 World Cup Qualifying team that infamously lost to Trinidad and Tobago and caused us to miss the 2018 World Cup
- Starting XI: 3 players in Europe, 8 MLS players, 7 starters over 25yo
- Substitutes: 3 MLS players (rules were changed recently to allow more subs)
- Bench: 2 players in Europe, 7 MLS players
Total Europe: 5
Total MLS: 18
Players over 25yo: 18
Even the B/C team we sent to the Gold Cup (that beat Mexico's mostly A team) had a few more young guys that are garnering interest from or just signed with European clubs.
On the topic of soccer in general, the USA men's team won the new CONCACAF Nations League and the CONCACAF Gold Cup this season, both over Mexico. We have an incredible number of promising younger players age 18-24 playing for major European clubs. A complete roster overhaul from just a few years ago. It's a great time to get in on the ground floor before the 2022 World Cup qualifying later this year, and ESPECIALLY when all these players become veterans and we take World Cup North America 2026 by storm.
To illustrate, here is the makeup of the team now and 3 years ago...
2021 Nations League Final Winners
- Starting XI: 10 players in Europe, 1 MLS player (who was actually pretty good), 3 starters over 25yo
- Substitutes: 5 players in Europe, 1 MLS player
- Bench: 4 players in Europe, 2 MLS players
Total Europe: 19
Total MLS: 4
Players over 25yo: 5
2017 World Cup Qualifying team that infamously lost to Trinidad and Tobago and caused us to miss the 2018 World Cup
- Starting XI: 3 players in Europe, 8 MLS players, 7 starters over 25yo
- Substitutes: 3 MLS players (rules were changed recently to allow more subs)
- Bench: 2 players in Europe, 7 MLS players
Total Europe: 5
Total MLS: 18
Players over 25yo: 18
Even the B/C team we sent to the Gold Cup (that beat Mexico's mostly A team) had a few more young guys that are garnering interest from or just signed with European clubs.