Messi-palooza would have never been possible if not for Beckham’s LA leap

Messi Mania swings through Los Angeles on Sunday night, the city where David Beckham’s leap of faith on a barely profitable league nearly two decades ago made all of it possible

On Sunday night, Messi Mania makes its next stop when Inter Miami visit LAFC at BMO Stadium and the latest chapter of the great American soccer superstar experiment comes full circle in Los Angeles.

In many ways, the latest away scene on Leo’s Magical Mystery (and Soccer Mythmaking) Tour is nothing new: an urban metropolis galvanized for a breathless, priceless night (see: Philadelphia, Nashville, and, er, Harrison, New Jersey, in recent weeks). Apple and Adidas marketing teams smiling once more, and over again.