A former Arsenal forward has issued a rally cry to his teammates in the wake of the impending arrival of superstar Lionel Messi at Inter Miami.
Mexican striker Carlos Vela failed to quite make the grade during his time with the Gunners and now plies his trade with Los Angeles FC in MLS following a successful stint at Spanish side Real Sociedad. He helped his current employers to their first ever MLS Cup play-off victory last term, notching 12 goals along the way to their inaugural title win.
Currently sitting in third place in the Western Conference standings, they are two points behind leaders St. Louis having played two games less and will have designs on repeating last season's heroics. That said, players from across the US would be forgiven for fearing the impending arrival of iconic forward Messi, who has announced that he will sign for Inter Miami next month.
The departing Paris Saint-Germain star has won a staggering 42 major honours in his career, including the World Cup in Qatar last year alongside four Champions League trophies. However, he has his work cut out for him already in Florida, with the Herons currently languishing bottom of the Eastern Conference.
At this point in the campaign, all is not lost and it is still possible that the managerless outfit can rally in the coming months to still reach the playoffs, with a ninth-place finish presenting an opportunity to qualify. With Messi likely to make his debut towards the end of July, Inter Miami's players now have the task of arresting the slide after six straight defeats.
For now, however, LAFC star Vela remains unshaken by the news that the 35-year-old will be arriving in MLS in due course. Although he admits that the signing will be good news for the league itself, he remains confident of achieving further success at the end of this season as he sent Messi a stern warning that his arrival will change nothing for LAFC.
He told US TV channel TUDN: “It's great news for MLS [Messi's arrival], but I still think that we are still the ones who want to win the title. It doesn't matter who is on the other teams. Plans don't change.”
Although Messi may face a major task helping to turn fortunes around at the BRV PNK Stadium, he could well still pick up a winners' medal in the US Open Cup later this term. In spite of their poor league form, Inter Miami have gone on a run in this competition, reaching the semi-finals where they will face Cincinnati in August.
Currently seven points off Montreal in ninth place in the Eastern Conference, this could realistically represent the best chance of Messi picking up silverware in his first season in the US.
