Lionel Messi In LA: Our Casual Preview Of The LAFC/Inter Miami MLS Game On Sunday

Redmond Carolipio

Published Sep 2, 2023 6:00 AM

Leo Messi, a soccer player with light skin tone, pink uniform, short dark hair and part of a sleeve tattoo shown on his right arm, is looking off to the right.

Beyonce and college football are dominating the weekend, but another kind of football — or futbol — is set to make its mark: On Sunday, Inter Miami — by far the hottest property in MLS — will be coming to Los Angeles to take on LAFC.

If you don’t really follow the beautiful game, you might ask what the big deal is, why there’s more pink jerseys around and why ticket prices are so damn high for this matchup.

The answer can be summed up by one name: Messi.

I’ve heard the name. What’s his deal?

Soccer is objectively the most popular sport in the world, and Lionel Messi (also known as Leo Messi or just Messi) is its GOAT — Greatest Of All Time. A soccer prodigy who’s been playing professionally since his teens, the now 36-year-old Messi (jersey No. 10) has built a legendary career rife with awards that are too numerous to mention in this space. He’s best known for his time playing for FC Barcelona, Argentina’s national team and Paris Saint-Germain.

As a result, he’s one of the most famous people on Earth: He’s got 485 million followers on Instagram, which is roughly 200 million more than Taylor Swift. He’s also No. 2 on the Forbes list of the world’s highest-paid athletes (No. 1 is Cristiano Ronaldo, who plays in the Saudi Pro League and is known as Messi’s chief competition for GOAT status).

What’s making this global-star-to-MLS move different?

Unlike past crossovers of players like David Beckham (who actually co-owns Inter Miami) and Zlatan Ibrahimovic — who are still very good (even stellar at times) but near the tail end of their playing careers — Messi is still very close to the player who sparked Argentina’s run to win the World Cup in 2022, which means he’s still a few levels ahead of most players he’s seen on an MLS field.

That’s not hyperbole — he’s scored or notched at least one huge highlight in every game he’s played for Inter Miami — 11 goals and three assists in nine appearances. He’s still hilariously good and serves as a reminder to fans that there are levels to this.

So, he’s just going to roll over LAFC?

Not at all ... at least, I wouldn't assume that. First off, LAFC is one of the best teams in the league, currently second place in the Western conference. Carlos Vela and Denis Bouanga of LAFC are stars in their own right — Bouanga is among the leaders in goals scored in MLS. Also, despite the fanfare, talent and success that Messi brings to Inter Miami, the overall team record is… not that great. They are second-to-last in their conference for a reason.

And … Messi might not even play that much.

Wait, what? Why wouldn't he play?

Messi still has duties to fulfill to play for Argentina’s national team, and they’re coming up very soon. While Inter Miami’s coach confirmed that Messi is going to start the match against LAFC, there’s been plenty of talk of also resting him. In Inter Miami’s last match against New York, Messi came off the bench and made an immediate impact. However, the simple chance of seeing Messi or occupying the same airspace might be enough for a lot of fans.

I don’t have tickets. How much?

You sure you want to know? OK. Last time I checked, a single ticket was around $500 for the supporters’ section, then it jumps. A lot. Good luck.

Can't pay that. Where can I watch?

The game is on Sunday, at 7 p.m. our time. It’ll be on ESPN as well as Apple TV, which has become a hub of sorts for all things Messi since he signed with MLS.