MLS have unveiled a new, never-before-seen feature focusing on Lionel Messi in his next game this coming weekend.
Against New England Revolution, the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner came off the bench to score a stunning hat-trick in his latest appearance for Inter Miami, who have won the MLS Supporters' Shield for the first time.
The Herons are therefore making a first appearance in the MLS Cup play-offs and will take on the winners of CF Montreal vs Atlanta United on 26 October.
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And given its Messi's first ever play-off game, MLS and Apple TV are pulling out all the stops when it comes to coverage.
In an unprecedented move, the league and its primary streaming partner will provide an exclusive live 'Player Spotlight' on Messi for the fixture.
It will all go down on TikTok on the MLS and Inter Miami channels five minutes before kick-off, with the camera completely trained on Messi's every move.
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"With over 13M posts using #soccer and nearly 7M posts occurring in 2024 alone, the global soccer community on TikTok is incredibly passionate and engaged," TikTok said in a press release.
"@MLS has the largest international audience across North American sports leagues on the platform, with 65% of fans outside the US and account engagements up 194%. With the Player Spotlight featuring Lionel Messi, fans will enjoy an unparalleled viewing experience that brings them closer to the action than ever before."
On TikTok, the description said: "Watch Messi’s every move in a special TikTok livestream October 25 at 8:45pm ET on @MLS as he leads Inter Miami’s historic title quest".
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Fans are able to register to stream the event on MLS' TikTok and it will mark the first time the platform has "streamed an entire live soccer match with a single player focus".
In another exciting broadcast call, the game will be shown in Times Square in New York City.
Messi has scored 22 goals in as many games for Tata Martino's side this season and the team are the overwhelming favourites to win the MLS Cup.
Topics: MLS, Lionel Messi, Inter Miami
Josh Lawless