Langoni says he went to MLS to play against Messi

Argentinian winger Luca Langoni of the MLS's New England Revolution said on Wednesday that the opportunity to play against Lionel Messi was one of the reasons that led him to sign for the American league.

"The truth is that I was very attracted to play against him. I think it's going to be very nice," Langoni, who joined New England from Boca Juniors in August, told a press conference organised by MLS.

The Buenos Aires native, who has scored two goals since making his debut, acknowledged that his arrival in the United States came about mainly because of the poor form he was experiencing at club level.

"I was not in a good moment at Boca, I was not going through a good footballing moment and nothing, I felt it was time to take a step in my career. I thought about it a lot, it was difficult, but now I'm here and I'm happy," he said.

Despite strengthening with Langoni, the New England Revolution are bottom of the MLS Eastern Conference, six points off the playoff places with only five games left to play.