Famous for his impatience with the press and short answers, Bruce Arena didn’t hold back when it came to Lionel Messi joining Inter Miami, roster construction rules and the Leagues Cup
The legendary Major League Soccer coach, Bruce Arena, currently in charge of the New England Revolution, gave a press conference after his team’s 3-1 victory over Inter Miami CF, Lionel Messi’s future club. During the interview, he shared his reaction and opinion on the arrival of the 36-year-old Argentine star to MLS.
“I believe that bringing Lionel Messi to our league is fabulous. Even though they already have three Designated Players, I can handle that. I mean, it’s good for our league, which has grown considerably. When I joined LA Galaxy, after David Beckham had a tough time in 2007, it was a challenging moment. These things are not easy. Later, I arrived at LA in July or August 2008, and we just moved forward for the rest of the year, probably playing seven to ten games. We signed 19 new players the following year and reached the MLS Cup final. After that, we kept improving, but it’s a challenge. It won’t be easy for [Inter] Miami, but they have a better squad now than what I had at LA Galaxy when I arrived in 2008. They will do well. Messi will win games. If Messi were on the field tonight, it would be a real challenge for us. It’s good for their team, good for Inter Miami, great for the league, and good for us because we don’t have to play against them anymore, except maybe in the playoffs. I hope he has a great impact on the field. We know he will have a big impact off the field. I think it’s great”, said Arena.
The topic of Lionel Messi has also raised several questions about possible changes in roster construction rules, including the elimination of TAM and GAM. Here is Arena’s opinion on these potential changes:
“That’s a matter for the league owners. Spending in this league is higher than ever. When I started in 1996, I believe our salary cap was $1.1 million. We had a bunch of questionable players that came, and each team got four players to start the league, with Marco Etcheverry being one of them for us. It was a time of uncertainty, and it was up to the league and the people to decide. They distributed these players to all the teams, and now we have progressed, and you can spend up to eight or nine million dollars with TAM [Targeted Allocation Money]. Additionally, there are teams in the league spending between 25 and 30 million dollars on their squads, for the top teams. My assumption is that in Miami, they are adding much more money. It could be an extra 50 to 70 million dollars. The rules are being followed. The league is not doing anything special for Miami. What’s special is that (David) Beckham managed to attract Messi to his club. They worked on it for a few years, and I believe that even at 36 years old, Messi will have a tremendous impact on that team, the city, and the league. It can only be good”, added the New England Revolution head coach.
Lastly, Bruce Arena also commented on the MLS schedule, which will undergo changes with the inaugural season of the Leagues Cup, a tournament involving Mexican and American teams during the mid-year, pausing the regular season for a month. Here’s what he said:
“It has been a problem, and June and July in the league will be absurd, to say the least. We are playing in an international window, and then we have a competition outside the league. Who knows where everyone will be at that time? As you saw in August, or at the end of July, I don’t even know the dates of when the competition ends, but it’s very complicated. It’s possible that in this competition, if you don’t advance from the group stage, you may have two or three weeks without playing. It’s complicated. And we are hopeful that in August, we will have Henry (Kessler) back. That’s a possibility. Maybe he returns in September, and we hope we become injury-free and some players recover, get back in form, and as we are getting towards the end of the season, we can be at our best because right now it’s tough with all the player rotations we are doing and everything else. What else can I say?”, complained Arena.
New England will no longer face Inter Miami in 2023, except for a potential matchup in the playoffs. While Miami remains last in the Eastern Conference, the Revs have secured the fourth position in the same conference with 30 points.
(Cover: Site/New England Revolution)
