DC United coach Wayne Rooney has questioned whether Lionel Messi will dominate with Inter Miami in MLS.
Miami chose to join Inter Miami over a return to Barcelona.
"It'd be nice if we were his first opponents for DC fans to see him up close and for us to challenge ourselves against him. One thing I will say - it's not going to be easy for him," Rooney told beIN SPORTS.
"The league's a difficult league and I don't think he's going to come over here and absolutely tear it up immediately. He'll have to adapt because it's a bit different, it won't be an easy ride for him.
"I think it's great, to bring Messi into the league. We've all seen, over the years, the impact of [Inter Miami co-owner] David Beckham coming in, [former LA Galaxy striker] Zlatan [Ibrahimovic] coming in. Different players from overseas.
"To get Messi in the league, arguably the greatest player of all time, and still - he's a little bit older - but not long ago he won the World Cup almost single handed. It's going to be great for the league, for Miami."
