Lionel Messi is a name that needs no introduction; many call him the greatest of all time, while others disagree.
There is no denying the absurd talent of the tiny but mighty Argentinean. The 5-foot, 7-inch forward has completed every accomplishment in Soccer, taking his skills worldwide across his 20-year career, from Barcelona to Paris to World Cup glory in Doha. Now, the next chapter of his career is in Miami.
But throughout all those years, he’s never paid a visit to Kansas City; however, all that will change on April 13th.
Messi will lead Inter Miami to take on Sporting Kansas City at Arrowhead Stadium on April 13th. Tickets are available online, starting at $140 for the upper levels and $254 for the lower bowl.
The decision to move the game from Sporting Kansas City’s Home stadium, Children’s Mercy Park, to the much larger GEHA Field, Arrowhead Stadium, has drawn criticism from fans online.
Blue Springs High School sophomore and Soccer Captain Miru Lee will be in attendance; he supports the change of venue: “…more people will be able to watch the game, and the tickets won’t cost as much. Also, the stadium will be much louder and more intense than other Sporting games.”
Miru also shares some fan’s concerns that Messi will miss the game: “I’m a little worried, but I know Messi won’t let me down like that.” He adds, “Regardless of how much he plays, it will still be a great game.”
Miru predicts a Sporting KC Victory 3-2 in which Messi will find the back of the net but come away with a loss.
Sporting Kansas City is coming off an unusual 2023 season. The injury bug bit early in the season as Star players Alan Pulido, Gadi Kinda, and Johnny Russel all missed time; this, combined with a rough batch of form from healthy players, led the Sporting to start winless in their first ten games.
As calls for longtime manager and former Sporting KC player Peter Vermes grew, the season took a drastic turn for the better. The team went on an unmatched run to win 12 of the remaining 22 and became one of the most offensively dominant teams in all of MLS.
After an incredible shootout performance against longtime rivals San Jose Earthquakes, goalkeeper Tim Melia secured Sporting’s spot in the playoffs.
Later, Kansas City prepared to take on much newer rivals, the first-year Expansion team St. Louis FC, who had defied all expectations to finish first in the Western Conference. This best of three series was a no-contest.
Sporting KC went on the road in the first game and dominated all night with a commanding 4-1 victory. Game 2 saw another commanding Sporting victory led by goals from Belgian left-back Logan Ndembe, who played the entire second half with a torn ACL, and Hungarian winger Daniel Salloi to lead to a 2-1 victory to advance to the second round of the playoffs.
Despite this massive first-round series victory, KC fell short a few weeks later to the Houston Dynamo, 0-1.
Inter Miami had by no means a similar season, but it was just as unusual; they were one of the worst teams in the league and had a roster that looked, at best, dysfunctional.
Their season completely flipped upside down when Lionel Messi announced in an interview that he had declined offers from Saudi Arabia and Spanish giants Barcelona to head to South Beach.
Former Barcelona teammates Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba quickly followed as Messi led Miami to their first trophy in the Leagues Cup (a month-long competition between Liga MX and MLS teams). However, they still couldn’t find their way into the playoffs with such a poor start to the season.
Given the last few seasons, Kansas City has started slowly, so I predict a 2-1 Inter Miami victory with Messi and Julain Gressel goals.
Messi coming to town isn’t the only exciting thing going for the 2024 soccer world in Kansas City. KC will host two games at this year’s Copa America tournament, including The United States vs. Uruguay game.
Also, KC will be opening the first-ever women’s professional soccer stadium for the Kansas City Current, CPKC Stadium.
