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Beyond the Messi Rivalry: LAFC reveals the strategic move behind Griezmann's signing
Apr 24 2026 13:13 · By JUAN CASTRO/RYAN MITCHELL · 63 Reads
T he arrival of Antoine Griezmann at Orlando City is already an event in MLS . This was expressed to us by Alfonso Mondelo , MLS Director of Competition, in conversation with some international media, including MARCA . Alfonso assessed the Frenchman's arrival in the United States this summer: "Antoine was going to come to Orlando in March, but he asked us to stay until the summer at Atletico for the Copa and the Champions League."
His signing for Orlando has nothing to do with creating a 'derby' against Messi's Inter Miami [ Orlando and Miami are close and in the same state of Florida ]. It was the club that had been looking for Griezmann for some time and both are happy with the signing."
The MLS, in this conversation with MARCA, emphasized, through one of its top executives , the fact that the U.S. league is the gateway to the next World Cup to be hosted by this country, Mexico and Canada. MLS highlights its own development, with an average of 22,000 spectators per game; close to 50 MLS players who will be World Cup players; and a reform of MLS for 2027 that will be adapted to the European calendar (the season will run from July 2027 to June 2028) .
We asked Mondelo about how MLS is preparing for the post-Messi era: "It's hard to find a player like him, but this league has already recovered from players like Cruyff, Pele... and I'm sure MLS will find new stars to play here.
We were also able to talk to Marcelo Balboa, a player who played in the World Cup with the United States and is a current MLS legend: "If I had to choose two players to sign tomorrow for our league, it would be Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe. They are the two stars who have the most ability to open the eyes of soccer people in the United States."
Regarding MLS's aspirations for the future, Alfonso Mondelo told us: "We want to be one of the great leagues worldwide in a few years' time, but the first thing is to be the best in our Concacaf region, and there we have an 'older brother' that is Liga MX, with which we want to compete on equal terms."