Lionel Messi's visit to New York City comes as on-field production wanes, even if star power does not

Inter Miami tied 1-1 with New York City FC in MLS play on Saturday

NEW YORK – The sights and sounds of an Inter Miami away trip are familiar a year into the Lionel Messi experience. There's pre-match discussion about ticket prices and attendance records being set. Fellow travelers on the subway ask Messi jersey-sporting strangers when and where he's about to play. Fans clad in Inter Miami pink and Argentina's light blue and white line up in stadiums, regardless of the location. Vendors line the streets outside stadiums selling knockoff merchandise. Cheers for Messi are louder than those for anyone else by a noticeable margin, though his teammates occasionally benefit from the knock-on effect.

This is how the novelty of Messi becomes commonplace, sometimes an exercise in contrasting sentiments, as it was in Miami's 1-1 draw with New York City FC at Yankee Stadium on Saturday. Those who hoped to score a glimpse of the World Cup winner had fortune on their side – the ankle injury that kept him out for two months was officially a thing of the past, and manager Tata Martino's minute management meant the crowd at Atlanta United on Wednesday was sacrificed for the one in the Bronx over the weekend. Simply put, it was an ideal set-up for those who put in the effort — and the dollars — to be there.

What they saw, though, was a watered-down version of Messi Mania.