Analysis

Few would argue that Inter Miami’s high-profile midseason acquisitions have brought Major League Soccer to a level of notoriety that it has never seen before. Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets were always going to bring new fans to DRV PNK Stadium, but Tuesday’s crowd will be remembered for all the wrong reasons. 

Following Messi’s substitution late in the match, videos showed many fans in the crowd leaving their seats and heading home for the night. 

We're roughly halfway through the 2023 summer transfer window with Europe's top five leagues all having to conclude their business by 11 p.m. GMT on Friday, September 1. Declan Rice has already become the most expensive English player ever after his $130 million switch from West Ham to Arsenal, and Jude Bellingham's $115 million transfer from Borussia Dortmund to Real Madrid is the window's other piece of gargantuan business.

With an expanded 32-team tournament and matches across Australia and New Zealand, the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup (beginning with a crowd of over 100,000 for the Matildas opener against Ireland) is going to be the best in the competition's 32-year history.

The USWNT is favored for a three-peat but that's never been done before, and there will be fierce competition from European champions England, two-time world champs Germany and teams looking to take the next step like France and Spain.