Lionel Messi’s arrival at Inter Miami CF, a team owned by David Beckham, was a full-circle moment for the history of Major League Soccer. The player credited with transforming the league was now responsible for signing the player that would transform the league again.
But as most eyes will be focused on Messi and Miami, one Leagues Cup match, Club Club América vs. Chicago Fire, will represent a lesser known, but not forgotten international signee that also came to MLS in 2007 and had more of an immediate impact on his club than Beckham and the LA Galaxy: Cuauhtémoc Blanco.
Prior to his arrival in Chicago, Blanco had become an América and Mexican National Team legend. In 286 matches with América, Blanco had scored 136 goals and tallied 16 assists. He also helped win the club a Concacaf Champions Cup and a Mexican Clausura Championship.
As a national team player, he scored 39 goals and notched 14 assists over 120 caps. He helped win two Gold Cups and the Confederations Cup in 1999 and appeared in three World Cups.
So, when he was officially revealed by the Fire in April of 2007, 5,000 fans showed up for the announcement.
“Blanco came and was actually immediately more effective as a player, but also had a resonance with a different fan group,” soccer writer Nick Firchau told MLSSoccer.com for a story about Blanco’s legacy in the league. "He wasn’t a superstar in everyone’s eyes, but he was a superstar to the Mexican and Mexican-American community in Chicago."
Prior to his arrival, the club was just 4-8-4. After his debut, the club went 6-2-6 and made the playoffs, making it all the way to the conference finals before losing. He finished the 2007 season with the most goals+assists on the team (11) and was a finalist for MVP and Newcomer of the Year.
In 2008, he led the team in goals+assists again (13), was named an MVP finalist again, and reached the conference finals again but fell short of the MLS Cup. In his final season with Chicago, he led the team in goals+assists (13) and reached the conference finals for the third straight season. But he never made it to an MLS Cup Final.
Blanco may not receive the same attention as Beckham for his role as the first generation of designated players in MLS, but his success with the Fire is a part of the first major improvement in MLS’ quality on the pitch and its reputation in the world of soccer.
He wasn’t the man to help orchestrate bringing Messi to MLS, but he was a part of the movement that opened the door for this major signing to happen.
