FOXBORO >> The New England Revolution expect a season-high crowd at Gillette Stadium for Wednesday night’s regular season rendezvous with star-studded Inter Miami CF and transcendent striker Lionel Messi.

But how much Messi plays — whether he even takes the field at all — remains to be seen. Miami comes to New England on short rest after having defeated the Montreal Impact 4-1 last Saturday, with Messi playing the full 90 minutes and scoring twice. Regardless, the Revolution expect between 45,000 and 50,000 spectators on Wednesday, which is less than the all-time Gillette Stadium soccer attendance record of 65,612 achieved last April when Messi first visited the Boston area with Miami.

“We market it as Revolution vs. Inter Miami, because at the end of the day, that’s what it is,” Cathal Colon, the Revolution’s vice president of Marketing and Community Relations, told the Boston Herald. “He might not play. It’s the nature of sports. Last year he played the full 90 minutes here and fans who came to see him got exactly what they wanted, but there’s always a chance he won’t play. It’s important to be authentic in how we market these games.”

Authenticity is the through line to the Revolution’s marketing strategy at a time of increased excitement for soccer in New England and across North America.

Since rebranding the team ahead of the 2022 season, the Revolution have focused on creating a recognizable visual identity, sharing player storylines with fans, and adding value to season ticket packages as well as the game day experience at Gillette Stadium.

Conlon believes this approach is helping the club capitalize on the surge of attention driven by Messi and other international stars who have followed in David Beckham’s footsteps since his arrival in MLS as a player in 2007. The timing is crucial, with next summer’s FIFA World Cup set to amplify interest even further.

Gillette Stadium will host seven matches, including a round of 16 game and a quarterfinal, as part of an expanded tournament that will bring 48 national teams to 16 venues across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada from June 11 to July 19.

“The World Cup coming in 2026 is a huge ticking clock for the club and the league, and it’s crucial we’re ready to capture the audience and sustain growth beyond just the event itself,” Conlon said. “The World Cup is another inflection point like Beckham or Messi, but now the league is so much more established. Once the dust settles from 2026, we want to be the local home for the sport and continue growing from there.”

The Revolution have already seen steady growth in attendance over the past few years. In 2019, the club averaged around 17,000 fans per game, and that number has increased each season since. Last year, the Revolution ranked fourth in MLS in average attendance and are projecting crowds of more than 25,000 by the end of this year. While the club does not disclose official season ticket numbers, Conlon said season ticket sales have grown in line with overall attendance.

Overall, MLS had the second-highest attendance of any major soccer league in the world last year (12.1 million) — ahead of the German Bundesliga, Italian Serie A, Spanish La Liga, as well as France’s Ligue 1, and garnered only 2.5 million fewer spectators than the top-ranked English Premier League.

That said, there is a prevailing narrative that much of the attendance boost taking place league-wide is caused by the so-called “Messi Effect.”

“Even before Messi arrived, our attendance was rising year over year,” Conlon said. “His arrival created a spike for sure, but it’s been growth on top of existing momentum.

“Absolutely, there’s been an effect,” Conlon added. “MLS has had these tipping points before — the 1994 World Cup, Beckham coming over — and Messi is another huge inflection point for the league and the sport in this country. The difference now is that when Beckham arrived, the league wasn’t fully ready. It taught us lessons about professionalism, how players exist in the ecosystem, and how to fully capitalize on their presence to build repeat customers.

“With Messi, he’s coming into a well-established, rapidly growing league that’s becoming a global platform. It’s like adding gas to a roaring fire. The challenge now is to take the extra attention and turn it into repeat fans — people who don’t just come for one game but buy multi-game packages or season tickets.”

Chris Pierce, a pharmacy technician from Leominster, has had Revolution season tickets for 10 years and is planning to sell his ticket for Wednesday night’s game. He sold his ticket in Section 143 (behind the south-facing net) for the Messi game last year, too — for $50, a bargain compared to the $285 average cost.

“It’s not about the money for me,” Pierce said. “It comes down to principle. I get it — people have their favorite sports players, but all the pomp and circumstance around one player coming to town, with all the teams driving prices up and pricing the average person out. It’s upsetting to me. It’s kind of a personal statement.

“It’s not black and white. It’s great for the league. Love him or hate him, he’s a role model for so many kids. Having them interested in the league and bringing families to games — that’s only a good thing.”

As for Wednesday’s game, the Revolution (6-7-6, 24 points) have a chance to make a statement against a marquee opponent and improve on their 2-4-2 home record. Gillette Stadium, once fondly called Fortress Foxboro among longtime followers of the Revolution, is under siege with Miami, which lead the Eastern Conference in goals scored (40), on deck.

“We know we haven’t been good enough at home and need to adjust that,” said Revolution head coach Caleb Porter. “But we’re prepared, we have a plan to win, and our guys are bought in … our group is confident and ready. They understand it’s a big game for the season and for the fans against a very good team. I feel good about our mentality and the plan we have to give ourselves a chance to win.”