Lionel Messi’s 2023 arrival at Inter Miami was part of the league’s big push to redefine its relevance among major league sports. Dubbed the ‘Messi Effect’, metrics following the World Cup winner’s arrival skyrocketed compared to the previous figures. By early 2024, Major League Soccer became the home for 19 of the 50 most valuable clubs in the world. Naturally, the growth pulled in talent.

Several veteran soccer icons, Sergio Busquets, Luis Suarez, Olivier Giroud, Marco Reus, and others, helped boost the quality of the league. The result? The league bloomed in every aspect. Even franchise expansion fees went through the roof. San Diego FC paid $500 million in 2023 to join the MLS, while Charlotte FC had reportedly paid $325 million in 2019. And if this isn’t enough to convince you, maybe an SDFC star will.

San Diego FC’s No. 10, Anders Dreyer, made a bold claim about the MLS while chatting with Landon Donovan & Tim Howard. Owing to the 27-year-old’s experience playing in Denmark, Russia, and Belgium, Donovan asked how the forward would rank MLS. “I think you have the big five leagues, then I think the Portuguese… But I played in Belgium, and I think the level is similar to Belgian football,” said Dreyer.

“That’s pretty high. I think the level over here is better than the Danish league and the Russian league as well,” Dreyer said on Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan & Tim Howard on YouTube. It’s hard to believe a Danish national would put the MLS below his own nation if he didn’t really believe in his words.

“I think the MLS is a good level of football, and there are very, very good players,” added the Danish national. Recent events show Major League Soccer is no longer the underdog league it once was. Anders Dreyer was part of the MSL All-Star team that beat the Liga MX All-Stars. In fact, MLS is even drawing players from the big five leagues.

After days of rumors, Inter Miami secured Rodrgio De Paul for their midfield. De Paul made the move to MLS from La Liga’s Atletico Madrid, and while he’s still on loan, that won’t be the case in 2026. That being said, the San Diego FC stars team didn’t get the Leagues Cup star they hoped for.

The soccer star lost his cool

Talking about ranking the MLS against other leagues, teams from the North American League have a chance to prove just how many strides the MLS has made at the Leagues Cup. The tournament is a battle for bragging rights among some of the biggest leagues on the American side of the Atlantic, with the biggest soccer leagues from the United States, Canada, and Mexico in the mix.

However, San Diego FC and its top scorer, Anders Dreyer, didn’t get the dream start they were looking for. In their first-ever international match, SDFC fell behind 3-0 on the scoreboard against C.F. Pachuca. As frustration crept in, the MLS team made a late surge, scoring their opening goal in the 88th minute. However, the closing minutes got more chaotic, and Dreyer lost his cool.

The Danish player seemed to intentionally trip one of his opponents, earning a red card and immediate ejection from the game. The chaos dragged the game to an unprecedented 100 minutes as the stoppage time piled up. Despite scoring another goal in the 100th minute, SDFC simply didn’t have enough time to tie the scoreline. What’s more? This wasn’t the only dramatic game so far.

In fact, of the players to do something uncharacteristic, Lionel Messi stirred the pot with his celebration as Inter Miami won their clash against Atlas in the final minute of stoppage time. While Messi later apologized to Atlas star Matías Cóccaro, there was no denying the emotions were high during the Leagues Cup game. It’s safe to say the MLS teams are out to prove a point.