More than Messi: The other Argentinians making a mark on MLS

Since he joined Inter Miami earlier this summer, Lionel Messi has lit up Major League Soccer, but he's not the only Argentine to do so.

The league has nested talented Argentinian players since its inception in 1996, with athletes from Diego Valeri to Gonzalo Higuain making their mark. These days, MLS is one of the top destinations for young Argentines, and local clubs like River Plate, Boca Juniors and Velez Sarsfield are considering MLS clubs as deal partners when trading their best prospects.

The reason is development. Argentinian clubs can sell players to the United States at a reasonable price, then attach what's known as a "sell-on" clause to the contract. That clause will ensure that when the player is sold from MLS to a new league, the Argentine club will still get a percentage of the sale, despite being removed from the transaction. 

With MLS increasingly becoming known for nurturing young talent, it's a great deal for everyone — and it's flooded the league with Argentinian stars.

Besides Messi, here are three other standout Argentine MLS performers:

Lucho Acosta, FC Cincinnati. "Lucho is a pain in the a--," Cincy manager Pat Noonan told The Athletic, "but he's a good pain in the a--." 

The mercurial Argentine is leading the charge for MLS's Golden Boot, with 15 goals and 12 assists this season. He's a notoriously passionate character in the dressing room — Noonan admitted he's still learning how to manage him —-and a live wire on the field, too. 

Acosta's all-or-nothing performances have fueled Cincinnati's run to the top of the Eastern Conference. 

Acosta recently signed a contract extension that will keep him in Cincy for the foreseeable future, and he celebrated that milestone with a superb solo goal against Charlotte that earned him MLS's Man of the Matchday award.