The MLS 360 en Espanol host joined Mic'd Up to discuss Messi, Inter Miami and the Latin imprint on the league
When Lionel Messi debuted for Inter Miami in the Leagues Cup in 2023, he came off the bench against Cruz Azul to see the Liga MX side equalize 10 minutes into his first showing for the . Then, with the final touch of the game, the Argentine drilled home a stupendous free kick to lift Miami to victory in the Group Stage of the competition.
Afterward? He gave his first MLS interview with Apple TV to reporter Antonella Gonzalez, who recalls the moment as "life-changing."
"For me, that interview that I did, the first one with Messi was the first interview that he was doing for the media. In the first interview after his debut in Major League Soccer," Gonzalez told GOAL. "Having the opportunity to interview him in the best way possible, because it was like a Hollywood movie that day for me, it was life-changing, and I understood that he is just a guy who wants to keep playing and enjoying the game, and he's really happy right now."
Since then Gonzalez has had a chance to interview the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner multiple times.
"What I can see from right by his side," she says, "is that he doesn't suffer from the ego of being so popular. He just wants to keep playing, and he's just a really good guy."
Watching him grow with the South Beach club has been a joy, but his influence on the league and Latin-American culture in MLS may be what his true legacy.
"I have to say that he's a little kid playing and enjoying the game," she says. "That is what I can see when I am right by his side as a sideline reporter. When he's on the bench, when he's not In the starting XI, he's just watching the game like he is as excited as a little kid."
As a reporter for MLS 360 en Espanol, Gonzalez has experience covering the game through a unique lens, both in South American and Spanish soccer. With MLS, she's embarked on a new task: to make Latin American communities across the United States get excited about the league.
Gonzalez spoke on the Messi's influence on the league, the growth of the Latin American game within MLS and more in the latest edition of Mic’d Up, a recurring feature in which GOAL US taps into the perspective of broadcasters, analysts, and other pundits on the state of soccer in the U.S. and abroad.
Get the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games nowApple TVON MESSI'S IMPACT
GOAL: What is Messi's legacy in MLS going to be for the Latin American, the Hispanic community, that has become so fond of what Major League Soccer has developed into? What influence does he bring on and off the pitch?
GONZALEZ: I think the way the people can see MLS has changed, and they show that he is involved in everything Mayor League Soccer does. I think the name Major League Soccer will change forever due to his arrival in MLS, because… I can see I travel a lot to South America, and I travel a lot to cover the South American qualifiers. I can notice every time that I go to the airport or I'm walking through the stadiums, everybody has stopped me to talk about Major League Soccer and about Messi.
And that's unbelievable, you know, the name, the brand – I think that Major League Soccer is becoming unforgettable for everybody. And that's amazing, because 10 years ago, maybe we knew Major league soccer because of the LA Galaxy, or [Andrea] Pirlo before retiring, or David Villa, or all these big legends.
But I think that Messi’s arrival, Major League Soccer is going to be unforgettable, and for this new generation just to get involved in the meaning of Major League Soccer and try to become a fan or wear the jersey… I have a kid, he is six years-old, and he loves to wear his inter Miami Jersey. When I went to the MLS Cup in Columbus in 2023, the first thing that he called me about, he told me: Hey, Mom, can you bring me a Columbus jersey? Then it was, can you bring me an LA Galaxy jersey? And that's amazing. And I think that is just because of this Messi effect, it is getting to the new generation.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportON THE LATIN INFLUENCE IN MLS
GOAL: We recently had a La Liga Sporting Director mention MLS has become a great stepping stone for players from South America and Central America who want to continue to develop their games. What do you make of that trend, and who would you say are the perfect examples?
GONZALEZ: I think it's not a trend. It's a reality that Major League Soccer now is just a step forward to go to Europe. The perfect example is Diego Gomez. Diego Gomez came from Paraguay last year, and spent just one year playing for inter Miami.
He learned a lot playing alongside Messi, Busquets and all these legends, and one year after he just now went to the Premier League with Brighton. So in one year, being a 20-21 year old player, it is amazing how MLS is such a big step and exposure for players. And now, as a Venezuelan, we have Telasco Segovia [in MLS]. Telasco used to play in Europe, in Portugal, and people criticized him a lot for going from Europe to MLS with Inter Miami saying his career is over.
But he's only 21 years old, and for me, he's learning a lot, playing alongside Messi, Suarez, Alba, and Busquets. It’s a league where you can have a lot of minutes and opportunities to be in the starting 11 and to be in the spotlight. I'm sure if he has a good season we are going to see the same as Thiago Almada with Telasco Segovia… Playing one year, two years, and then he can just go to a bigger team in Europe, just as Diego Gomez did, too.
GOAL: What are some trends you’ve noticed about Latin American players in MLS who may not participate in English-language interviews all the time? Constantly being around them as a sideline reporter or virtually through 360 Espanol, what are some of the common traits shared across the league, and how do you think they’re influencing the growth of MLS?
GONZALEZ: It's so funny that everyone drinks mate, because even though you are not from Argentina, you see it in the locker room at the end of the season, everybody just drinks mate. It's like this special drink inside locker rooms. But I think it’s the Latin music, that is so contagious that can just get you in the mood before and after the game. I had the opportunity to be in the locker room after the LA Galaxy won the championship, and I was with Riqui Puig, Diego Fagundez, and all these Latin American players and you can see that the DJ and the music is controlled by Latin American players.
So I think sometimes when they don't want to speak English, I think it's more because they are afraid to make any mistake, or because they are not fluent in English. I think it's more like that. It's not because they don't want to speak or they don't want to do the interview. I think it's the insecurity to not have the fluency, to not have the answer, and to feel comfortable with that.
Getty Images SportON ONE THING TO WATCH IN THE 2025 MLS SEASON
GOAL: It was a record-breaking offseason for MLS with the amount of money spent and the players brought in, obviously, Kevin Denkey at FC Cincinnati, Miguel Almiron and Emmanuel Latte Lath to Atlanta – and Wilfried Zaha. Is there one storyline across all 30 teams that you are picking out that maybe the rest of MLS is overlooking?
GONZALEZ: The Eastern Conference, this year, is the most competitive conference in the history of Major League Soccer. That's the story – in the Eastern Conference because we have inter Miami with the obligation and responsibility to get to the MLS Cup. That is the trophy that they need to become this legendary team with Messi and everybody else.
But we have Atlanta United with Miguel Almiron with Emmanuel Latte Lath, too. I think the combination of these two inside Atlanta United is going to be amazing. Nobody talks about Charlotte, and I think that they are the silent team that everybody is going to end up looking at. We have to pay attention to what they are because they have a really good defense and then they brought in Zaha and have Patrick Agyemang.
Those two together are going to be amazing on offense, so I think the storyline is the East to see who can win that part of the conference. And on the other side, we have LA Galaxy and LAFC with all of the legends we want to see, and this summer we’re watching LAFC to see if they bring a big name in.
Apple TVON HER ROLE WITH MLS AND APPLE TV
GOAL: How has your time with MLS and Apple TV been so far for you, and what would you say has been your favorite part so far?
GONZALEZ: It has been a dream. I have to say that I'm living a dream with Major League Soccer, just to have the opportunity to arrive in the United States and start all over again, finding the perfect job that matches what I love to do. That is journalism, that is following sports, with the league that… if you see the progress every year, it is just unbelievable. Every time that I visit a stadium, when I go and have to do my job as a sideline reporter, I see the stadium and all the families just together, watching the game and loving the game.
For me, it's just amazing how MLS has been growing the family culture with soccer nowadays. So it's amazing, I am living the dream. I know that now we have more responsibility on the Spanish side because we know that the Latin American community and the European community… All of the people love Messi, [Sergio] Busquets, Jordi Alba, and all these Spanish and Latin American Legends. They are watching the game, so we have more responsibility to show the world what Major League Soccer is and why you have to keep watching the league, even though Messi, Alba, and Busquets all play in the league.
GOAL: What would you say are some of your strengths in the footballing world that you bring to the table as a personality?
GONZALEZ: Well, I think that I have traveled a lot and I have seen a lot of football my entire life. I had the opportunity to cover two World Cups, Euro Cups, and the Spanish League. So I think that I can show and bring to MLS, the huge part of what football means for the entire world because I know that, even though we call it soccer, and I have it in my vocabulary, I know that is a newer sport inside the U.S.
And you have huge competition with NFL, with NHL, with NBA, with MLB. So for me, it’s.. .my purpose and my role is to help all the Latin American communities and the Latin American community living inside the U.S. to fall in love with Major League Soccer… So I'm trying to mix my knowledge and my culture, the Latin American culture that is huge when we talk about football, and try to help the fans get in love with the meaning of soccer.