Since Lionel Messi signed with Inter Miami in 2023, several MLS games have been moved to larger venues to accommodate the rush of fans anxious to see the Argentine superstar.
D.C. United has done the same by shifting Saturday’s high-profile clash with Inter Miami to 71,000-seat M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.
The match pits the defending MLS champion Herons (1-1-0, 3 points) against D.C. United (1-1-0, 3 points), who had the worst record in the league last season.
“(Messi) probably is the best player ever. He’s growing our league a lot,” said D.C. midfielder Jackson Hopkins. “It’s a chance for us to compete with each other. We can beat him, too, so it’s a great opportunity for everybody.”
Miami got off to a rough start this season, falling 3-0 to Los Angeles FC before the second-largest crowd in MLS history (75,673) and then trailing 2-0 at halftime Sunday night against Orlando City.
But Miami rallied for a 4-2 victory as Messi scored twice and Telasco Segovia tallied the go-ahead goal and assisted on two others.
“What I take away from him is his desire to win,” Segovia said of Messi. “He has already won everything, and he wants to keep winning. That’s what impresses me the most.”
D.C. United, which gave up the most goals (66) of any Eastern Conference team last season, has surrendered just one so far. That came in a 1-0 loss Sunday at Austin FC.
D.C. captured its opener as Tai Baribo scored the match’s lone goal to beat Philadelphia Untion, his former team.
On their trip north, Inter Miami visited the White House on Thursday. The team presented President Donald Trump with an Inter Miami jersey with his name and the number 47 emblazoned on the back.
Against D.C., Miami is likely to return a few players who missed the trip to Los Angeles: striker Luis Suarez (knee tendinitis), midfielder David Ayala (death in the family) and back Sergio Reguilon (knee).
Shifting the match to Baltimore is an attempt to grow the sport in the area, according to D.C. United CEO Jason Levien. He has lobbied Maryland leaders to build a 12,000-seat stadium that could eventually attract a women’s pro team and, perhaps, an MLS franchise.
“We’re building up the soccer infrastructure ecosystem in the DMV,” Levien told Axios. “The demand is there to fill the stadium and it’s also showing the passion for soccer in Maryland.”
–Field Level Media
