WASHINGTON, Dec 5 (Reuters) – Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber said the arrival of elite players such as Lionel Messi has helped the sport cement its place in a crowded U.S. market, as anticipation builds across the country for Friday’s World Cup draw in Washington.

Soccer has long battled for attention in a U.S. sporting landscape dominated by American football, baseball and basketball.

Garber said real progress had been made in recent years, fuelled in part by the arrival of Argentina’s World Cup-winning captain Lionel Messi in 2023, the eight-times Ballon d’Or winner joining Inter Miami after leaving Paris St Germain.

“On the field, our league is more global than ever before,” Garber said at a press conference on Thursday.

“Our roster features players from 80 different co

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