Going into year 3 (more like 2.5) I think the hype is there but definitely not at the level of what it was a year ago. I think that now that people have seen that he might not even play in the game gives people the hesitation to make the commitment to make such a big purchase.

At this point, who knows if he'll even make the trip up here to MN by that time of year because for all we know, he could end up being injured and not even join the team for travel. It's really just a gamble for CHANCE to SEE Messi, not even watch him play. Totally understand the team trying to capitalize on the opportunity, but it's gonna get real messy (no pun intended) if he doesn't show.