Messi Regains MLS Golden Boot Lead, And Oddly, Trump May Have Helped
The post Messi Regains MLS Golden Boot Lead, And Oddly, Trump May Have Helped appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com.
Lionel Messi celebrates his second goal against Atlanta United on Saturday night and Inter Miami’s fourth with teammate Jordi Alba. Getty Images President Donald Trump has been highly visible around the buildup to the FIFA World Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup before that. And now, his administration may have inadvertently just helped Lionel Messi gain a decisive edge in the race for the MLS Golden Boot. Messi scored a brace on Saturday night to propel Inter Miami to a 4-0 home victory over a woeful Atlanta United side, bringing his total to 26 goals on the season and restoring his lead atop the league scoring charts. That by itself is hardly unusual. In fact, it was Messi’s MLS-record ninth multiple-goal game of the season. But strangely enough, Messi may have been on the field on Saturday night because of the Trump administration’s escalation of immigration enforcement in the greater Chicago area, and the protest activity that has resulted. Yes, you read that right. Let’s explain: An Unexpected Appearance Saturday’s game was only one of five scheduled in MLS on the season’s penultimate weekend. All of those were rescheduled from earlier in the year, after the original MLS schedule was left completely dark to accommodate the October FIFA international window. Clubs are required to release players to their national teams during those windows. Unlike some leagues, MLS doesn’t completely forbid games from being played in those windows, but it tries to avoid them, particularly in September and October as the playoff races ramp up. Miami’s clash with Atlanta was moved from June 28 after the Herons advanced to the knockout phase of the FIFA Club World Cup, creating a conflict. And Messi and Miami teammate Rodrigo de Paul were both expected to be a part of Argentina’s national team…
