Lionel Messi of Inter Miami competes during a friendly match between Inter Miami and Newell’s Old Boys at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on February 15, 2024.
Arturo Jimenez | Anadolu | Getty Images
Major League Soccer scored several regular season records, including for attendance and sponsorship, thanks in part to international super star Lionel Messi — and corporate strategy.
The MLS has been nabbing well known athletes like Messi and Luis Suárez and leaning on the growing popularity of the sport within the U.S. in a bid to solidify its fanbase after nearly three decades of league play. It’s even created a corporate team to help clubs implement new business strategies.
It appears to be paying off. Nearly 11.5 million people attended MLS matches during the regular season — which ended this past weekend — the most in its history, according to data from the league. That’s up 5% from last year, and 14% from 2022. Each match during the 2024 season averaged 23,234 attendees, the highest ever for the regular season.
While those stats pale in comparison to other U.S. professional sports leagues — the National Basketball Association had more than 22.5 million attendees during the 2023-2024 regular season, for example — the MLS seems to be building momentum.
Last year, the MLS’s Inter Miami signed Messi, which caused a surge in attendance, jersey and other product sales, and overall fanbase engagement. The halo effect from the Messi, often referred to as the greatest of all time, seems to have held even with Messi playing fewer games this season due to an injury.
This past weekend Inter Miami ended the season with 74 points, breaking the MLS record for most scored in a season, and Messi notched a hat trick for the first time with the U.S. league. The MLS postseason begins this week.
Fans with signs supporting Lionel Messi before the start a MLS League game between Inter Miami CF (1) and D.C.United (0) at the Chase Stadium on May 18th, 2024 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA.
Simon M Bruty | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images
But it wasn’t just on-the-field talent that made the difference.
This was the first full season that Chris McGowan served as executive vice president and chief club performance officer at the league since joining in June 2023. McGowan was hired to lead the new unit, which serves to advise and develop strategies to help clubs perform better, particularly on the business side.
While most of this season was focused on building out…
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