The Red Bulls distributed an email to consumers on Tuesday offering a two-game “Holiday Pack” that includes next season’s home opener and the derby against rival New York City FC. Price per ticket pack ranges from $98 for upper corners/endline, $125 for corner endline/upper sideline, $174 for sideline A/upper center midfield and $495 for club seats. A travel mug and collectible figure is included in each pack.

But there is an asterisk next to the home opener, and at the bottom of the email the asterisk is explained in small type: “If RBNY plays Inter Miami CF in the home opener, each home opener ticket will be replaced with a ticket to RBNY’s 2nd home match.”

MLS last year announced its schedule on Dec. 20.

The Red Bulls declined to comment on the promotion, spokesman Zachary Lahey said Wednesday.

Messi, captain of World Cup champion Argentina, joined Miami in July. The 36-year-old attacker scored at the Red Bulls in his MLS debut on Aug. 26, his only goal in six league matches. He was in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday, playing as Argentina beat Brazil 1-0 in a 2026 World Cup qualifier.

The longtime rivals could go head-to-head next year, despite playing their soccer on different continents these days.

Messi’s Inter Miami will travel to Saudi Arabia in February to take part in the Riyadh Season Cup, which also includes Ronaldo’s Al Nassr. The three-team tournament will be completed by Neymar’s Al-Hilal, but the Brazil international is unlikely to feature after tearing his ACL last month.

“The excitement and global interest that we expect this tournament to generate expands upon one of our main aspirations for Riyadh Season — to create international events that visitors to Riyadh and fans around the world can all enjoy,” said Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the Saudi General Entertainment Authority.

Saudi Arabia has made a major push to be a big player in world soccer by signing some of the game’s biggest players. But it couldn’t lure Messi to the oil-rich kingdom when he left Paris Saint-Germain at the end of last season, with the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner opting to move to MLS instead.

Messi took part in last season’s Riyadh Season Cup with PSG and also came up against Ronaldo after the Portugal great’s surprise move to Al Nassr. In May, Messi was fined and suspended by the French club for taking an unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia.

Messi, who led Argentina to triumph at last year’s World Cup, has already won his first trophy with the David Beckham co-owned Miami — the Leagues Cup in August.

Messi and Ronaldo are widely considered to be two of the greatest players of all-time and competed against each other for soccer’s biggest prizes during their prime years at Barcelona and Real Madrid, respectively.

Both have left European soccer behind but have shown little sign of giving up their ambition to add to their legacies.

Ronaldo has led Portugal to next year’s European Championship and Messi will be aiming to retain the Copa America for Argentina at next year’s tournament.

Sadio Mane has also joined Al Nassr as part of Saudi Arabia’s drive to lure more star names amid allegations of sportswashing.

While Neymar is recovering from surgery, Al-Hilal should still have Alexsandr Mitrovic and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic in its lineup.

The Riyadh Season Cup is scheduled to be held in the first week of February at Kingdom Arena. The schedule has not been announced, but the three teams will play in a round-robin tournament.

Inter Miami sporting director Chris Henderson said Monday that nothing had been finalized or was ready to be announced about the team’s preseason plans. It will resume training in the second week of January, with the expectation that the MLS season will begin in late February. Henderson said he thought the team would need between four and six preseason matches, split between the U.S. and overseas.

The club had plans to play two matches in China earlier this month, but that trip — which could have led to more than 100,000 tickets being sold — fell through for logistical reasons. Inter Miami didn’t make any international tours in its first three seasons; getting Messi in Year 4 changed everything.

“I really felt like, overnight, we became a global club,” Henderson said Monday. “Eyes all over the world are watching what we’re doing. And what comes with that are these tours and preseason opportunities that we have as a club, so we’re working closely with the front office as they negotiate some of those preseason tours.”

Oh, and there’s national team duties for some players, too.

Add it all up, and Lionel Messi — the eight-time Ballon D’Or winner who turns 37 next summer — and many of his Inter Miami teammates will be asked to play a ton of soccer in 2024. And keeping Messi and other players as available as possible is part of the team’s thinking as it formulates its plan for next year, Inter Miami sporting director Chris Henderson said Monday.

“I think the challenge is, from our performance staff, what can we do as a club to support these players and make sure that they are able to give as many minutes as they can,” Henderson said. “But there are times when we’re going to have to balance the schedule.”

Injuries were an issue for Inter Miami down the stretch this season, and Messi — who had a very busy schedule after joining the team, with the Leagues Cup tournament going on as well as U.S. Open Cup and MLS matches — eventually was slowed by a leg problem. Messi told reporters after an Argentina match in October that “it was very hard for us, playing every three days, with travel, with training.”

“We’re not machines, we’re not robots,” Sergio Busquets, another of Inter Miami’s big midseason signings this summer, said in September. “We’d love to play all the matches and not be tired and not have injuries. But it’s something we can’t control.”

Henderson said teams will rely on their depth when the schedule is at its busiest. It’s also a good problem for teams to have going forward. Taking part of the CONCACAF Champions Cup is of particular significance to the club in 2024, coming on the heels of it winning the Leagues Cup title for its first trophy — the record 44th championship for the club and country in Messi’s legendary career.

“I do think there’s a lot of discussion at the league level in how we can alleviate some of these international windows and the congestion of the schedule,” Henderson said. “But I think with the amount of tournaments that teams are taking part of with international duty, it’s very hard to figure out. There’s just isn’t enough game days to sort it all out.”

The auction house said Monday that it will put up for sale in New York six of the seven first-half shirts the Argentina captain wore in Qatar, including the one he donned in the dramatic win in the final against France.

Argentina won the final, and its third World Cup, in a penalty shootout after a 3-3 draw at the Lusail Stadium, in which Messi had scored two goals.

Sotheby’s, which was founded in London in 1744, will offer Messi’s shirts in New York between Nov. 30 and Dec. 14. The shirts will be on view at its New York headquarters in a free, public exhibition during the bidding dates.

It is working with U.S.-based tech startup AC Momento, which partners with high-profile athletes to help manage their match-worn memorabilia.

The current record for a game-worn item of sports memorabilia is Michael Jordan’s 1998 NBA Finals jersey, which sold for $10.1 million at Sotheby’s in New York in Sept. 2022.

The current record for a game-worn item of soccer memorabilia is a shirt Diego Maradona wore in Argentina’s infamous 1986 quarterfinal 2-1 victory over England, where he infamously scored one goal with his hand, a goal he said owed much to the “Hand of God.” That sold for $9.3 million at Sotheby’s in London in May 2022.

Winning, and lifting, the World Cup last year meant Messi emulated the feat of Maradona in 1986, the previous time Argentina won the trophy.

A portion of the proceeds from the auction will be donated to UNICAS Project, led by Sant Joan de Déu (SJD) Barcelona Children’s Hospital with the support of the Leo Messi Foundation, to meet the needs of children suffering from rare diseases.

The 36-year-old Messi, who currently plays for Inter Miami in the MLS, spent 17 years at Barcelona, winning Spain’s league on numerous occasions and the European Champions League on four occasions. He has won the Ballon d’Or, which is presented annually to the game’s top player, a record eight times.

But it was with his belated triumph in Qatar that cemented his place among the all-time greats Pele and Maradona.

That’s why his shirts are potentially so valuable.

Messi was on the field for his Major League Soccer club on Friday night for a friendly against New York City FC, a match put together to commemorate his eighth time winning the Ballon D’Or — presented annually to the game’s top player — at a black-tie ceremony in Paris last month. No other player has won that award more than five times.

Messi — carrying the trophy in his left hand — walked to midfield on a gold carpet laid out across the pitch, where MLS Commissioner Don Garber was among those awaiting his arrival for a brief pregame ceremony. He embraced Garber, Inter Miami owners Jorge and Jose Mas, then hoisted the trophy as the crowd roared.

“To me, it is something beautiful to share with you,” Messi said. “I’ve only been here a little while but it really feels like I’ve been here a long time.”

Here’s how big a deal the moment was: Even Garber pulled out his cell phone to take a picture of the moment.

“You, Inter Miami fans, have the best player who’s ever played the game,” Garber said. “The winner of his eighth Ballon D’Or, the guy who lifted as captain the Leagues Cup for your team, thank you Leo for your belief in Major League Soccer and making your club and your league a league of choice.”

The game was almost irrelevant: NYCFC prevailed 2-1, and Messi had a 25-yard free kick that could have tied the game in stoppage time — but it sailed high, and the final whistle blew moments later.

It was a perfect bookend to Messi’s first four months officially as part of club: Year 1 started with an on-field party and ended with another celebration with a look ahead to Year 2.

“He’s the main star of this match and we want to join him celebrating his eighth Ballon D’Or,” Inter Miami coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino said. “It’s an opportunity also for us to compete. Even if it’s a friendly it’s an opportunity for the people and the fans to see Leo and his teammates on the field and say goodbye to the year.”

It was a bonus chance at a farewell, at least on the home turf. Inter Miami’s home schedule was completed more than three weeks ago, with Messi not playing that night — he had just gotten back from a pair of World Cup qualifiers with Argentina.

Inter Miami was supposed to play a pair of games in China earlier this month, only to see that trip fall through because of what the team called “unforeseen circumstances.” When that fell through, Inter Miami settled on another option — getting NYCFC to play an exhibition between teams that missed the ongoing MLS playoffs. Messi has been training with the team for much of the last two weeks, arriving at the team facility the morning after getting the Ballon D’Or in Paris.

“I want to thank all the people of Miami, not only the ones here at the stadium but in the city in general, for the way you have treated not only me but my family these last few months,” Messi said. “You’ve shown me a lot of love and made me feel at home.”

Messi, who hadn’t played a match since Inter Miami’s MLS finale on Oct. 21, will likely play at least twice more in 2023 — Argentina has World Cup qualifying games against Uruguay (in Buenos Aires) on Nov. 16 and Brazil (in Rio de Janeiro) on Nov. 21.

The team will likely begin training for 2024 in January, with the MLS regular season possibly starting in late February. It will be a hectic year for Inter Miami, which won Leagues Cup — its first-ever trophy — shortly after Messi signed with the club this summer. The club will play in that tournament along with the U.S. Open Cup and the CONCACAF Champions Cup in addition to the MLS slate in 2024.

“As I said at the beginning, I had no doubt that we were going to have a good time, that we were going to enjoy it,” Messi said. “And today I have no doubt … that next year is going to be a lot better. We are going to continue enjoying. We are going to continue winning titles.”

Martino was asked this week what still drives Messi. He said the level of competition that Messi has in practice would be the best answer.

“If you saw those, you wouldn’t even have to ask the question,” Martino said. “You would just see right away what I mean.”

There are GOAT — the oft-used acronym for Greatest Of All Time — debates in plenty of sports. Basketball has Michael Jordan or LeBron James. Golf has Tiger Woods or Jack Nicklaus. Men’s tennis has Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, or Novak Djokovic. Some sports make it easy: recency biases notwithstanding, it’s hard to argue against Simone Biles in gymnastics, Michael Phelps in men’s swimming, Katie Ledecky in women’s swimming.

Soccer might still have a debate. But eight Ballon D’Or trophies sure swing the argument Messi’s way.

“I believe it’s over,” said Inter Miami forward Benjamin Cremaschi, the 18-year-old who wasn’t even 2 months old when Messi — then a baby-faced, shaggy-haired teen himself, as opposed to the bearded, close-cropped look he has now — scored his first official goal for Barcelona in 2005. “He’s proved that for the last 18 years. I think he is the best player in the world, the best player in history. And I don’t know if many people disagree. It’s obviously a little bit biased, but from what I’ve seen, I haven’t seen anyone better yet.”

The team will play fellow Major League Soccer club New York City FC. Both teams missed the MLS playoffs, which started last month.

The trophy — which Messi received in Paris on Monday — will be presented to the crowd before the match, with that ceremony also set to include remarks by MLS Commissioner Don Garber and Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas, the team said.

And there will be no shortage of themes built around the number 8, commemorating the record times Messi has won the Ballon d’Or — presented annually to the world’s top player. The team is saying it will “celebr8” Messi’s trophy by playing the extra game, and a special drink priced at $8.88. There will be gold fireworks and a gold carpet entrance as well, the team said, another nod to the gold trophy.

Messi returned to South Florida early Tuesday after the Ballon d’Or announcement and was at a training session with the club that morning, which was a clear indicator that Inter Miami was still looking to add a match even though its MLS season is over.

Messi and Inter Miami were scheduled to play two matches in China — with the possibility of more than 100,000 tickets getting sold for those games — this coming week, but that tour dealt with a slew of logistical issues and was eventually called off.

Inter Miami said the reason was “unforeseen circumstances.” The tour promoter, NSN, said the decision to cancel was out of respect to Chinese officials following the death last week of the country’s former second-ranking leader, Li Keqiang. He was China’s top economic official for a decade.

The NYCFC match also will be a tune-up of sorts for Messi, who hasn’t played since Inter Miami’s MLS season ended on Oct. 21. He is expected to join Argentina for World Cup qualifying games against Uruguay (in Buenos Aires) on Nov. 16 and Brazil (in Rio de Janeiro) on Nov. 21.

Inter Miami announced Wednesday that its planned trip to China for a pair of exhibition matches has been called off. The team announced the trip last month, with a pair of games originally scheduled for Nov. 5 and Nov. 8.

It would have been at least the eighth time that Messi — the World Cup champion for Argentina and now an eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, after receiving the annual award yet again earlier this week — played in China, and the total attendance for the two planned matches could have exceeded 100,000.

Inter Miami said the reason was “unforeseen circumstances.” The tour promoter, NSN, said the decision to cancel was out of respect to Chinese officials following the death last week of the country’s former second-ranking leader, Li Keqiang. He was China’s top economic official for a decade.

TyC Sports, a network in Argentina, reported Monday that the trip was called off. The team did not confirm that decision until Wednesday.

“The tour promoter, NSN, has informed Inter Miami CF of the cancellation of its China Tour due to unforeseen circumstances in China,” read Inter Miami’s statement. “Inter Miami’s ambition remains to expand its global reach by playing in front of incredible fans from across the globe; the Club will continue to explore future opportunities with NSN to achieve this goal.”

There were clear logistical challenges with the trip, including a botched ticket launch in China and reports that one of the matches would be canceled. It would have been Inter Miami’s first international tour and could have served as a warm-up of sorts before Messi is expected to play in two World Cup qualifying matches for Argentina later this month.

Messi returned to the U.S. early Tuesday after winning the Ballon d’Or and was with Inter Miami for a training session that morning. The team did not make the Major League Soccer playoffs and now has no games officially scheduled, though the ongoing training suggests Inter Miami may try to play an exhibition in the coming weeks.

The team — which won Leagues Cup this year for its first-ever trophy, doing so shortly after Messi’s ballyhooed signing with the club — hasn’t publicly revealed plans for any other international tours in the future, but others are expected given Messi’s enormous global popularity. He remains under contract to Inter Miami for the 2024 and 2025 MLS seasons, making between $50 million and $60 million annually.

Messi played in China as recently as this past June, shortly after he stunned much of the soccer world by announcing that he would sign with Inter Miami. He scored barely one minute into a match for Argentina against Australia in Beijing on June 15.

Messi also won Olympic gold in China, helping Argentina win the title at the Beijing Games in 2008. He and Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham have enormous followings in Asia, along with several endorsement deals in the region.

The Argentine great fulfilled his life’s ambition by leading his country to the World Cup title in Qatar last year to win the one major trophy that eluded him in his storied career.

Spain’s Aitana Bonmati is the favorite for the women’s award after leading her country to victory at the Women’s World Cup in August.

Since moving to Inter Miami in the United States, Messi has already picked up his first silverware there by inspiring the team to victory in the U.S. Leagues Cup.

Despite leaving top-level European soccer behind, he is still tipped to beat Manchester City forward Erling Haaland to the sport’s biggest individual prize.

Paris Saint-Germain and France forward Kylian Mbappe is also in contention to succeed Karim Benzema, who at 34 last year became the oldest winner since the first recipient in 1956, Stanley Matthews.

Mbappe scored a hat trick in the World Cup final though France lost in a penalty shootout.

Haaland led City to a treble of trophies last season — Champions League, English Premier League, FA Cup — while scoring 52 goals.

Messi won his first Ballon d’Or in 2009 and his seventh in 2021.

The ceremony is scheduled to start at 1930 GMT.

Bonmati has been awarded UEFA best women’s player and the Golden Ball for the top Women’s World Cup player. She scored three times and assisted twice at the tournament.

For the first time last year, the trophy awarded by France Football magazine was based on achievements from the past season. It was previously awarded based on performances through a calendar year.

The women’s trophy was created in 2018, and both were canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic.

Everyone gets mesmerized by his presence.

Even, as it turns out, his Inter Miami teammates.

Consider DeAndre Yedlin, for example. Yedlin is a highly decorated, highly accomplished player with worldwide experience and acclaim. He has played in the Premier League and in two World Cups for the U.S. and has been a Major League Soccer All-Star. He was the captain for Inter Miami to start this season. Then Messi joined the club in July, and everything changed in a moment.

“I mean, yeah, I was starstruck,” Yedlin said. “This is a guy that I grew up watching and admiring. So, of course, whenever you come across a great — especially the greatest to ever do it — I think it’s normal to get a bit starstruck. I really was like: ‘Wow, that is Messi. He’s here.’ But when you play with him, get to know him, you realize he’s a very normal guy, very humble, cares about everybody.”

Messi is humble. He is not normal. That will almost certainly be on full display again Monday in Paris, when the 36-year-old is expected to win the Ballon d’Or — presented to the best player in the world for a given year — for the eighth time, extending his record. Nobody else has won more than five of those trophies.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said earlier this month that his top player, Erling Haaland, and Messi both deserve the trophy.

“I always said that the Ballon d’Or had to be of two sections — one for Messi and one for the others,” said Guardiola, who coached Messi with Barcelona.

It will be Messi’s 14th time finishing in the top three of the balloting, extending another record. He won it while playing for Barcelona, he won it while playing with Paris Saint-Germain and now he’ll likely win it while playing for Inter Miami in what would mark the first instance of an MLS player getting such recognition.

“Playing with him on the pitch and sharing moments together is a joy,” said Jordi Alba, a longtime Messi teammate who joined him with Inter Miami as well.

The first season — first half-season, really — for Messi in Miami was a resounding success in many ways, a failure in one other. The club won its first trophy, with Messi leading the way to the Leagues Cup championship (and even though he was wearing the captain’s armband, in a nod to that humility teammates speak of, he had Yedlin, the previous captain, hoist that trophy). Attendance skyrocketed, Inter Miami’s footprint on soccer’s social media space skyrocketed, viewership on Apple TV was believed to soar and Messi’s No. 10 jersey became the hottest seller in MLS. He’s making somewhere between $50 million and $60 million per season with Inter Miami, and the revenue streams are making that possible. (Season-ticket prices for 2024 are also much higher, to the chagrin of many fans.)

But injuries, wear and tear all took a toll, probably exacerbated by Inter Miami having to play so many matches in Leagues Cup. (“It was very hard for us, playing every three days, with travel, with training,” Messi said.) A leg injury forced Messi to miss much of the late-season team’s MLS slate and the club missed the league playoffs by a wide margin, though in fairness, it was well out of the playoff picture before Messi arrived in July.

They’re already prepping for 2024 now, set to begin training for a pair of early November exhibitions in China. And when the calendar flips to a new year, Inter Miami will be expected to win every trophy it competes for – MLS Cup, Leagues Cup, the U.S. Open Cup and the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

“I’ll enjoy the holidays in Argentina, the first time I’ll have a lot of fun in December, in peace with my people,” Messi told reporters after an Argentina match earlier this month. “And then I will come back again, preseason, start from scratch and prepare for the best possible outcomes as always.”

Everything is different for Inter Miami now. The new stars — Messi, Alba, Sergio Busquets — have arrived, all part of this summer’s midseason splashes and returning for 2024. Another midseason move: landing coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino, who now gets a full offseason and preseason to set the club up for what awaits in 2024.

“That’s the year when I thought somehow our work would actually start,” Martino said. “Obviously in these four months there are important things that we were playing for, and that were very, very important for the club. But now with a great preseason, a concrete roster, a defined roster, that’s when we have to look at our strengths and plan for a great year.”

Much of Inter Miami’s roster will be back. Rumors are flying that at least one more big name — Luis Suarez, the Uruguayan who played with Messi at Barcelona — will be headed to Inter Miami. And Messi, even after nearly two decades of being in soccer’s brightest spotlight, remains the biggest star.

After winning the World Cup for Argentina in December, he wound up coming to MLS to enjoy the last chapter of his playing career. So far, so good. It was a ride like none other for Inter Miami this season, and the club knows 2024 will be another whirlwind.

“I’ve heard rocket ship, I’ve heard circus, but I think it was just something that was new to North America, to our team, to this league,” Inter Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender said. “It was something that nobody had ever seen before. I mean, it’s a pretty big moment in soccer history and there was so much attention because people didn’t know what was going to happen. But in that unknown, there’s a greatness and possibilities. So, I’m really looking forward to 2024, because we know what can happen.”

The league announced those up for its year-end awards Thursday with the winners being named throughout the MLS Cup Playoffs.

It is no surprise that Messi, Argentina’s great who joined Inter Miami this summer, would be up for the honor. The global great has created a sensation since coming to play in the United States’ top soccer league. He has posted 11 goals and eight assists since joining Miami for the MLS Leagues Cup competition in July.

Giorgos Giakoumakis of Atlanta United and Eduard Löwen of St. Louis City SC are the other finalists for the award, which the league defined as a player with previous professional experience who made his MLS debut in 2023.

The finalists for the MLS most valuable player award are FC Cincinnati midfielder Luciano “Lucho” Acosta, Atlanta United midfielder Thiago Almada and Los Angeles Football Club forward Dénis Bouanga.

Those up for coach of the year are Bradley Carnell of St. Louis City SC, Pat Noonan of FC Cincinnati and Wilfried Nancy of Columbus.

Messi shared the spotlight with Charlotte’s bid to qualify for the postseason on the last day of the regular season in a game that drew 66,101 at Charlotte’s 74,000-seat Bank of America Stadium.

Messi, who led Argentina to the 2022 World Cup title, was the clear drawing card, and thousands in attendance were adorned in “Messi 10” jerseys.

The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner as the world’s top player went the distance in the meaningless game for Miami, which had already been eliminated from playoff contention. He finished with three shots and had two scoring chances. Messi’s apparent goal in the 49th minute was negated by an offside call, and his shot in the 62nd minute bounded off the crossbar.

Messi had 11 goals in 14 matches with Miami this season. The team was winless in his final six league matches (three losses, three draws) and had four wins, four losses and four draws in the league since he joined the team in mid-July.

Messi, who scored twice for Argentina in its 2-0 World Cup qualifying win at Peru on Tuesday night and did not play the next day in a makeup game against Charlotte, did not address the media after the game. He had one media availability in a half-season with team, on Aug. 17.

Charlotte delivered for its fans. The second-year franchise needed a victory over Miami and help from other results to claim one of the two remaining Eastern Conference playoff spots in a scramble of five teams. The Chicago Fire and CF Montreal lost earlier Saturday and that allowed Charlotte to clinch a playoff berth with a victory.

Kerwin Vargas’ goal in the 13th minute was enough to seal the historic victory, and Charlotte held Miami without a goal down the stretch in a season in which it has yielded many late-game goals.

Charlotte will finish the 2023 season second in league attendance; Charlotte FC was averaging 33,634 entering Saturday’s regular- season finale.

“I knew it was because Messi was in town,” Charlotte FC coach Christian Lattanzio said of the large crowd. “The more they come to see us they will see we can play toe-to-toe with the best in the world.

“I’m very, very proud of the boys. They have been working very, very hard.”

Messi is expected to play in Inter Miami’s colors on Nov. 5 and Nov. 8, when the team plays two exhibition matches in China. It’ll be the first time Inter Miami goes on a foreign tour. Argentina then has more World Cup qualifiers on Nov. 16 and Nov. 21 — after which Messi should get an extended break before Inter Miami begins preparing for 2024.

Inter Miami CF coach Gerardo Martino said his team finished the season wearied by its heavy schedule.

“We had three tournaments and won one,” Martino said through translator. “The team was exhausted. That’s no excuse. That’s the reality.”

Robinson subbed into the match in the 73rd minute and scored the equalizer for Inter Miami (9-17-7) in the 84th with assists from Leonardo Campana and DeAndre Yedlin.

Charlotte (9-11-13) and Inter Miami play again on Saturday in Charlotte to close out the regular season. Lionel Messi missed the match for Inter Miami. He was in Peru, scoring both goals in Argentina’s 2-0 victory over the hosts in a World Cup qualifier. The club has not announced whether Messi will play in the finale.

Neither team found the net until Enzo Copetti used assists from Kerwin Vargas and Brandt Bronico in the 45th minute to score his sixth goal of the season and give Charlotte the lead.

Rookie Nicolás Stefanelli pulled Inter Miami even in the sixth minute of stoppage time with his second career goal, unassisted.

Charlotte regained the lead in the 52nd minute when Vargas took passes from Kamil Józwiak and Brecht Dejaegere and scored for a third time this season.

Drake Callender finished with four saves for Inter Miami. Kristijan Kahlina saved five shots for Charlotte.

The home side had won all three previous meetings — two by Inter Miami.

Karol Swiderski saw a three-match goal-scoring streak end for Charlotte.

Messi — who scored both goals for Argentina in its 2-0 World Cup qualifying win at Peru on Tuesday night — wasn’t in the lineup for Inter Miami’s final home game of its Major League Soccer season against Charlotte on Wednesday night.

Messi, dressed casually in a white T-shirt, was in the Inter Miami bench area with his teammates for Wednesday’s match after returning from Peru earlier in the day.

Not playing on Wednesday was expected. This part was not: Messi told reporters in Peru that he wants to play once more for Inter Miami before his inaugural MLS season ends, which means he’s intending to play in Charlotte on Saturday — even though that match will be played on artificial turf.

“I’ll play the game that is left now,” said Messi, who played all 90 minutes of Tuesday’s match — a good sign after battling a leg injury for the last several weeks.

The notion of Messi playing might not necessarily be what Charlotte wanted to hear, given what will be at stake on the final day of the regular season. Charlotte wasted a pair of one-goal leads and tied Miami 2-2 on Wednesday, missing out on a chance to climb from 12th to 8th in the Eastern Conference. The top nine teams in each conference make the playoffs.

Enzo Copetti and Kerwin Vargas scored for Charlotte. Nicolas Stefanelli and Robbie Robinson scored for Inter Miami, which could still thwart Charlotte’s playoff plans with a win on Saturday depending on how other results on Decision Day in MLS goes. Charlotte stayed 12th, and now needs a win and some help to make the postseason.

Inter Miami was eliminated from MLS playoff contention earlier this month. Coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino said earlier this week that there was “a chance” Messi could play Saturday, and that the team would evaluate where he’s at physically upon his return to Miami following the qualifying games with Argentina.

He said after Wednesday’s match that he was sticking to that approach. Martino heard what Messi said, but didn’t fully commit to his captain playing Saturday.

“Tomorrow we’ll talk with him, but the most important thing here is the 90 minutes that were played … that he felt well, and he was confident and not worried about his injury,” Martino said. “We’ll talk again to see if he’s ready to play again.”

Even the hope of Messi playing seems to be a big boost to ticket sales. Charlotte has sold more than 60,000 tickets in its 74,000-seat stadium for Saturday’s match, The Charlotte Observer reported Wednesday.

Inter Miami’s home finale came on the same day the MLS Players Association revealed that Messi’s annualized compensation from his MLS contract with the team is just over $20.4 million. That’s more than the entire payroll of all but three other MLS teams and twice as much as every player combined on Orlando City.

The 36-year-old star has a $12 million base salary and total guaranteed compensation of $20,446,667, the players association said in its 2023 salary update. Inter Miami says Messi’s contract, a 2 1/2-year deal that runs through the 2025 season, is worth about $150 million. The MLS figures do not account for any additional agreements with the team or its affiliates, or for any performance bonuses.

Messi’s commitment to Argentina for World Cup qualifying would have kept him out of Wednesday’s match — which was a rescheduled game, after both teams went deep in the Leagues Cup tournament and needed to move the matchup — anyway. With Saturday being meaningless in the standings, it was assumed that Inter Miami would take no unnecessary risks with Messi, a seven-time Ballon d’Or winner as the world’s top player. And it seems very likely that Messi will become an eight-time winner of that award when this year’s recipient is announced in Paris on Oct. 30.

Messi is also expected to play in Inter Miami’s colors on Nov. 5 and Nov. 8, when the team plays two exhibition matches in China. It’ll be the first time Inter Miami goes on a foreign tour. Argentina then has more World Cup qualifiers on Nov. 16 and Nov. 21 — after which Messi should get an extended break before Inter Miami begins preparing for 2024.

Messi has 11 goals in 13 matches with Inter Miami this season. The team has gone 8-1-4 when he plays; seven of those matches were on the team’s run to win its first-ever trophy by claiming the Leagues Cup championship. He has also appeared in five MLS games and one U.S. Open Cup semifinal.

But a leg injury derailed his season, and essentially ended Inter Miami’s chances of making the postseason. Miami is now 1-3-3 in seven matches without Messi since he joined the club. He was able to play as a reserve on Oct. 7 against Cincinnati, but Inter Miami lost 1-0 in the outcome that sealed its playoff elimination.

Messi earns more than the entire payroll of all but three other MLS teams and twice as much as every player combined on Orlando City.

The 36-year-old star has a $12 million base salary and total guaranteed compensation of $20,446,667, the players association said in its 2023 salary update.

Those figures cover what Messi receives from his MLS deal, which runs through the 2025 season, including any marketing bonus and agent’s fees. They do not account for any additional agreements with the team or its affiliates, or for any performance bonuses.

He has the highest total compensation in MLS, followed by Toronto’s Lorenzo Insigne at $15.4 million, Chicago’s Xherdan Shaqiri at $8,153,000, the LA Galaxy’s Javier Hernández at $7,443,750, Toronto’s Federico Bernardeschi at $6,295,381 and Austin’s Sebastián Driussi at $6,022,500.

Miami tops the league with a $39.4 million payroll based on total guaranteed compensation, followed by Toronto at $32.3 million, the LA Galaxy at $25 million and LAFC at $20.8 million.

Messi earns more than twice the $9.6 million payroll of Orlando City, which has the lowest in the league. He accounts for 4% of MLS’s total compensation of $501.9 million.

Messi has made three league starts and five appearances for Miami, totaling 283 minutes and scoring one goal. He also helped the team win the inaugural Leagues Cup, scoring 10 goals in seven games.

Josef Martínez is Miami’s second-highest-compensated player at $4,391,667.

Two of Messi’s former Barcelona teammates who joined him in Miami are getting far less. Midfielder Sergio Busquets has a $1.5 million salary and $1,775,000 in guaranteed compensation, and defender Jordi Alba has a $1 million salary and $1.25 million in guaranteed compensation.

Among other notable MLS midsummer acquisitions were Minnesota forward Teemu Pukki ($3.2 million salary and $3.55 million in total compensation), Nashville forward Sam Surridge ($2.5 million, $2,907,639), Columbus forward Diego Rossi ($2,625,000, $2,677,000) and Atlanta midfielder Saba Lobzhanidze ($2,052,000, $2,150,750).

The team said it would play a pair of friendlies against Chinese Super League teams, first in Qingdao, China against Qingdao Hainiu on Nov. 5 and then against Chengdu Rongcheng in Chengdu, China on Nov. 8. Those two stadiums can both hold between 50,000 and 60,000 fans.

Those dates coincide with the first round of the MLS playoffs. Inter Miami was eliminated from playoff contention earlier this month.

Inter Miami’s announcement of the deal did not specifically mention Messi or any other player, though it would be surprising if Chinese officials agreed to the games without some sort of guarantee that the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner and the team’s other best-known standouts — Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba among them — would be making the trip if physically able.

“This will be a great opportunity to continue building on our 2023 campaign, in which we achieved our first-ever trophy,” Inter Miami sporting director and chief soccer officer Chris Henderson said in a release distributed by the team. “We will take this as an opportunity to begin our preparations for 2024, as we look to build on last season and find more success moving forward.”

If Messi — who led Argentina to the World Cup title last year — plays, it would be at least the eighth time he has traveled to China for exhibitions for club or country since 2005. Ticket for all previous Messi appearances have sold at a wild pace in China, a nation that has a massive soccer following even without much in the way of global success by the men’s national team. China’s women made the World Cup final in 1999, falling to the U.S. in a penalty-kick shootout to decide the title at the Rose Bowl in California.

Messi has played in China as recently as this past June, shortly after he stunned much of the soccer world by announcing that he was signing a 2 1/2-year contract worth around $150 million to come to MLS and play for Inter Miami. He scored barely one minute into a match for Argentina against Australia in Beijing on June 15, and later was surprised by fan — one wearing a Messi jersey — somehow getting onto the field to ask for a hug.

Messi also won Olympic gold in China, helping Argentina win the title at the Beijing Games in 2008. He and Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham have enormous followings in Asia, along with several endorsement deals in the region.

This is the first international tour for Inter Miami, which is about to end its fourth MLS season. The team won the Leagues Cup this season, doing so shortly after Messi began playing for Inter Miami in July.

The team didn’t reveal television or ticket information. The lowest-priced seats for Messi’s appearance at Beijing in June were listed at $80 and the highest-priced were around $670 at face value; if the price points for that match are similar to what’s set on this tour, the two matches could generate well over $20 million in ticket revenue alone.

That suggests this trip could be another major financial win for Inter Miami. MLS officials said Messi’s jersey has been the league’s top seller in 2023 — even though it wasn’t on sale until July — and the team has told its season ticket holders that it plans to increase prices dramatically for the 2024 season.

“We’re very excited to continue to expand our club’s global reach, bringing our team to play in front of incredible fans across the globe,” Inter Miami chief business officer Xavier Asensi said in remarks distributed by the club. “This is a special opportunity to share the passion as we reach new audiences and put ourselves on display in new places, and we’re looking forward to beginning this adventure.”

Inter Miami finishes its MLS season this week with matches against Charlotte on Wednesday and Saturday. Messi is currently with Argentina’s national team for World Cup qualifying and — given that nothing is at stake — it would seem unlikely that he’ll appear in either of the final two MLS matches of the season for his club.

The team hasn’t publicly revealed plans for any other international tours for 2024, but others are expected given Messi’s enormous global popularity.

The seven-time Ballon d’ Or winner, who had missed five of his last six games because of a leg injury, was not in the starting lineup but was expected to play at some point in the match.

Anticipating a second-half appearance, fans at DRV PNK Stadium screamed his name when Messi and teammates began warmups along the sidelines. The screams intensified as Messi approached the midfield area and entered the match in the 55th minute.

He made an immediate impact, drawing a foul and free kick in the 59th minute. But his shot from 25 yards sailed high and wide.

“As far as the injury is concerned, he is fine. There are no problems,” Inter Miami coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino said in Spanish. “Obviously, because he has not played recently, there was a lack of rhythm. That is why he played (35) minutes.”

Cincinnati, in first place in the Eastern Conference, won the game on Álvaro Barreal’s goal in the 78th minute. Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender stopped Yuya Kubo’s point blank shot and Barreal retrieved the deflection and converted with his left foot from 8 yards.

Messi had another free kick during stoppage time but his equalizing attempt sailed wide left.

The loss kept Miami (9-17-6) at 33 points with two matches remaining while ninth place Montreal, which held the ninth and last Eastern Conference playoff berth solidified its spot with its 4-1 win over Portland.

“Honestly, I anticipated the exact difference from what occurred,” said Martino, who took over as Miami coach June 28. “My expectations were to build the club and qualify for the playoffs.”

Miami went 1-2-2 with Messi out of the lineup. Messi likely played his last MLS match of the season after Miami’s elimination. He also has pending World Cup qualifying commitments with Argentina.

Messi scored 12 goals in the combined 13 league and cup matches he played since joining Miami on a three-year deal in July. Miami was 8-0-4 with Messi before Saturday’s loss.

Cincinnati (20-5-8, 68 points) has already clinched the top berth in the East and a first-round bye. For Cincinnati, the win also avenged a home loss against Miami in the U.S. Open Cup semifinal Aug. 23.

“We had this circled after the Open Cup,” Cincinnati defender Nick Hagglund told Apple TV. “It was a tough loss at home. We wanted to come to their place and give them a taste of their own little medicine.”

Miami pressured throughout the first half with but could not beat goalkeeper Roman Celentano.

Josef Martinez and Benjamin Cremaschi had the best scoring opportunities but their shots deflected off the goalpost in the 22nd and 24th minutes. Celentano also dove and deflected Facundo Farias’ 20-yard shot in the 30th minute.

“We needed to make a difference in the first half,” Martino said. “Our football was at its best in the first half. We just could not get the needed goal.”

Messi will join Argentina for 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Paraguay and Peru on Oct. 12 and 17 respectively. With Miami’s season ending Oct. 21, Argentina must figure out how to maintain Messi’s fitness for World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay on Nov. 16 and at Brazil five days later.

Miami’s remaining league matches will be a home and road set against Charlotte Oct. 18 and 21.

The team used social media on Friday to post “Nos vemos mañana” — translation, “see you tomorrow” — with a photo of the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner. Inter Miami plays host to Cincinnati on Saturday night.

The team did not elaborate. Messi trained with the team on Friday.

The 36-year-old Messi has missed five of Inter Miami’s last six matches, plus another for Argentina in that span because of what was first called fatigue and later was determined to be a hamstring injury. He has not played since making a 37-minute appearance against Toronto on Sept. 20, when the leg issue forced him out before halftime.

If he plays, it could conceivably be Messi’s final home appearance — or final appearance, period — of the season for Inter Miami, the team he joined in July after agreeing to a 2 1/2-year contract that will pay him somewhere around $150 million. The team is facing a seriously uphill climb in a bid to make the Major League Soccer playoffs; it has three games remaining and is five points behind Montreal for the ninth and final postseason spot in the Eastern Conference.

After Saturday, Inter Miami will have two games left — both against Charlotte, one at home Oct. 18 and the other on the road Oct. 21.

But Messi’s availability for the Oct. 18 game would seem to be in serious doubt considering he has been called up by Argentina for World Cup qualifying matches against Paraguay on Oct. 12 and Peru on Oct. 17. And if Inter Miami is eliminated from playoff contention by that point, it also raises the question of whether the team would play Messi at Charlotte in a meaningless finale.

Messi has 11 goals in 12 matches with Inter Miami this season. The team is 8-0-4 when he plays — seven of those matches were on the team’s run to win its first-ever trophy by claiming the Leagues Cup championship — and 1-3-2 in its six matches without Messi since he joined the club.

Since his signing, Inter Miami has outscored opponents 29-12 when Messi is on the field, and has been outscored 15-14 when he is not.

The 36-year-old Messi has missed five of Inter Miami’s last six matches. The Argentina captain also missed his national team’s 3-0 win at Bolivia on Sept. 12.

Messi’s most recent appearance was at his team’s match against Toronto on Sept. 20, during which he was substituted at halftime because of muscular pains.

Argentina will face Paraguay in Buenos Aires on Oct. 12 and then visit Peru five days later.

Argentina and Brazil lead the South American World Cup qualifying standings with two wins from two matches.

Argentina:

Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martínez (Aston Villa), Franco Armani (River Plate), Juan Musso (Atalanta)

Defenders: Walter Benítez (PSV Eindhoven), Juan Foyth (Villarreal), Gonzalo Montiel (Nottingham Forest), Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid), Germán Pezzella (Real Betis), Cristian Romero (Tottenham), Lucas Martínez Quarta (Fiorentina), Nicolás Otamendi (Benfica), Marco Pellegrino (AC Milan), Marcos Acuña (Sporting Lisbon), Nicolás Tagliafico (Lyon), Lucas Esquivel (Athletico Paranaense)

Midfielders: Leandro Paredes (Roma), Guido Rodriguez (Real Betis), Enzo Fernández (Chelsea), Rodrigo de Paul (Atletico Madrid), Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen), Carlos Alcaraz (Southampton), Giovani Lo Celso (Tottenham), Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool), Thiago Almada (Atlanta United), Bruno Zapelli (Athletico Paranaense)

Forwards: Paulo Dybala (Roma), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Julián Alvarez (Manchester City), Lautaro Martínez (Inter Milan), Facundo Farias (Inter Miami), Lucas Beltrán (Fiorentina), Alejandro Garnacho (Manchester United), Nico González (Fiorentina), Lucas Ocampos (Sevilla)

The 36-year-old Argentine star had been listed as questionable on Inter Miami’s injury report because of a scar tissue ailment that has nagged him since shortly after World Cup qualifying. He worked out independently of the team Tuesday.

The Fire — who won the game 4-1 — sold a team-record 61,000 tickets to the match at Soldier Field. After Messi’s presence became unlikely, announced prospective season-ticket holders could take a $250 credit toward next season, with single-game spectators eligible for a $50 credit if they decided not to attend.

“Many people were here to see Messi, and who doesn’t want to see him,” Chicago coach Frank Klopas said. “But they saw a good performance from our team tonight.”

Messi has 11 goals in 12 matches with Inter Miami. It is 8-0-4 when he plays; seven of those matches were on the team’s run to winning its first trophy by claiming the Leagues Cup championship and another was in the U.S. Open Cup semifinal. Inter Miami is 1-2-2 in its five matches without Messi since he joined the club.

“Barcelona missed him, and the Argentine team missed him,” Miami coach Gerardo Martino said about Messi. “Of course we’re going to miss the best player in the world.”

Martino gave no timetable for Messi’s return.

Xherdan Shaqiri and Maren Haile-Selassie each scored twice for the Fire. Josef Martinez scored on a penalty kick for Miami.

Miami has 33 points with three games left, five points behind Montreal for the last playoff berth with four other teams to also overcome.

“This whole process has been like an emotional rollercoaster,” Beckham said of the “Beckham” series in an exclusive video interview with The Associated Press. “I’ve never talked about these certain moments in my career and in my life.”

The intimate four-part series explores Beckham’s upbringing, his courtship with his wife and his triumphs on the field, but perhaps the most difficult part was revisiting his painful sending off during England’s World Cup match against Argentina.

“I hadn’t actually watched it and I hadn’t actually watched the interviews and what people said about me after,” he said, adding that it left him “shocked and emotional.”

Beckham was red carded for deliberately kicking the back of Diego Simeone’s leg. He lashed out after the Argentina captain pushed him to the ground. England’s World Cup hopes were crushed, and Beckham instantly went from hero to villain.

“Beckham” includes footage of the hatred the soccer star received — condemnation in British tabloids and constant fan abuse, including one who hung his effigy from a noose outside a London pub.

“I knew it was bad at the time, but going over that whole that whole thing was quite a tough one,” he told the AP.

The backlash continued throughout the next season.

“It wasn’t just stepping onto a football pitch, it was every time that I went out in my car and people stopped me and spat at my window and you know, all of those things, and then walking into a restaurant knowing that everybody in there hates you.”

Best friend David Gardner recalls how Beckham even had to be accompanied by friends in the bathroom for his safety, yet never retaliated.

Despite the full support of Manchester United fans and club manager Sir Alex Ferguson, Beckham said there wasn’t the same knowledge or concern about mental health that exists now.

“Back then there wasn’t anyone turning round to me and saying, ‘Are you OK? Are you sure you’re OK? Let’s talk about it.’”

Even his own family struggled to understand. “Twenty five years ago, if I’d have turned around to my dad and said that I don’t feel great, he would have said, ‘Boy, just get on with it’. So that’s how I grew up and that’s how I knew how to kind of handle a situation like that,” he said.

“I became, I wouldn’t say a cold person, but I was able to block things out that were challenging and difficult for me at the time” he added, saying it helped him grow as a player and as a person.

“I’m not a person that sits and reflects on past achievements and things like that” Beckham said, explaining that he learned from an early age that you can win a trophy and celebrate that evening, “but then the next day you’re on to the next season and you’re on to something else. “

The first episode, which debuts Oct. 4, explores young David’s upbringing in Chingford, Essex, and his relationship with his father.

“He was a very disciplined dad from a very early age. And when I didn’t play well, he told me and when I did play well, he kind of told me that I did play well, but not too much,” Beckham said with a smile.

It had always been his father’s dream that his son play in the premiership for Manchester United and it soon became their shared dream, turned reality. After being spotted by a scout playing on London’s Hackney Marshes, Beckham moved to Manchester at 15. The tough love continued under Ferguson. Their partnership helped Beckham win six Premier League titles, two FA Cups and one Champions League.

“Without a doubt, me getting out of London at that time and becoming a Manchester United player, in the north, surrounded by unbelievable people — that for me without doubt helped me have the success and have the career that I had had and have,” he said. “Having the discipline of Sir Alex Ferguson possibly was one of the biggest reasons why I was able to succeed.”

But the discipline didn’t rub off when it comes to his own four children Brooklyn, Romeo, Cruz and Harper Seven, who all appear in the documentary. Beckham admits his wife is “pretty strict” and he finds it hard to lay down the law.

“I always thought growing up, if I was to become a young dad, I would be like my dad. I would support my kids with going into football and be hard with them. But I was nowhere near like my dad was. I’m a bit of a softie.”

Meeting Spice Girl Victoria Adams was a pivotal moment in Beckham’s life. She was already a global superstar as “Posh Spice” and he was a rising talent with Manchester United.

“It wasn’t something that normally happens, you know, a footballer and a pop star coming together and the pressures of that but also her being on the world tour, me really wanting to see her. But obviously I couldn’t travel. So, we used to sneak around.”

He said they managed to keep their relationship secret for the first few months and then “the explosion happened.”

Beckham’s teammate and close friend Gary Neville jokes on “Beckham” about the pair’s long phone calls into the early hours before a game and says Beckham would drive for four hours just to spend 20 minutes with her. Neville and Gardner are executive producers on “Beckham,” with Beckham’s Studio 99 among the film’s production companies.

Part three and four of the series were not available for review prior to Beckham’s interview, but those episodes explore his explosive fallout with Ferguson, his sale to Real Madrid and tabloid allegations of Beckham’s extra-marital affairs.

“There are pressures, but you work hard,” Beckham said of his marriage. And despite press speculation, the couple recently celebrated their 24th wedding anniversary and remain a united force.

“I suppose that’s one of the reasons why we’re so, so strong as a couple, because, yes, we have amazing kids, we have amazing careers, but we … make time for each other as well.“

Beckham’s career spread far beyond his success as a player to cultural icon and entrepreneur. He was a trailblazer for collaborations with brands like Adidas, Armani, Breitling and more. While players weren’t really doing similar deals at the time, he said it felt like a natural progression enabled by his success on the football pitch.

He knew early on that “Brand Beckham” would broaden and lengthen his career if he could achieve a good balance.

“I always made sure that whatever I was doing off the field never affected what I was doing on the field because that was what I loved and what was important to me.”

His business savvy culminated in ownership of his own soccer team, Inter Miami.

“I had the opportunity to play in different countries, move to America, obviously have my own franchise and my own team, become an owner,” he said. “So then once I finished playing, I knew that the moment I finished playing, I could then jump into the business. But, we were working on that a long time before that.”

Looking back on his career’s highs and lows, it’s natural to wonder: Does Beckham have regrets?

“Do I wish things hadn’t happened? Absolutely. Do I wish ’98 hadn’t happened? Absolutely.”

But he said he realized it all happened for a reason.

“It made me stronger as a person, as a player, as a human being, and as a father, as a husband,” he said. “And if that hadn’t have happened, I maybe I wouldn’t have had the career that I had.”

Inter Miami coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino declined to provide any timetable regarding Messi when he spoke with reporters before the practice session.

The team — which is still trying to make Major League Soccer’s playoffs — plays at Chicago on Wednesday. Messi has been listed as day to day for much of the past month and barely has played in that span.

The 36-year-old Messi has missed four of Inter Miami’s last five matches, plus another for Argentina in that span because of what was first called fatigue — by both his club and country — and has evolved from there. The only game he didn’t miss during that stretch was a 37-minute appearance against Toronto on Sept. 20, and he had to leave that match before halftime because of a hamstring issue.

Messi made an appearance Monday night at the team’s stadium to promote the launch of a children’s menu bearing his name at some Hard Rock properties around the world. He was not made available for comment to most media outlets that were in attendance at the event, and no update on his injury was provided.

Inter Miami enters the week 13th in the Eastern Conference, four spots and four points out of the last playoff spot from that side of MLS. A loss on Wednesday would not eliminate Inter Miami from the playoff mix, but it would put a significant dent in the team’s postseason hopes.

After that match at Chicago, Inter Miami has three MLS games remaining — Saturday at home against Cincinnati, a rescheduled match at home against Charlotte on Oct. 18 and the finale at Charlotte on Oct. 21.

Messi has 11 goals in 12 matches with Inter Miami this season. The team is 8-0-4 when he plays; seven of those matches were on the team’s run to winning its first-ever trophy by claiming the Leagues Cup championship and another was in the U.S. Open Cup semifinal.

He has one goal in four MLS matches and has been an instant phenomenon, as would be expected — with his jersey already the best-selling in the league in 2023, even though it wasn’t available for sale until mid-July.

Inter Miami is 1-2-2 in its five matches without Messi since he joined the club.

7News camera captures Messi at DRV PNK Stadium Monday afternoon as he unveiled new burgers and sandwiches that are part of the kid’s menu.

Messi, who is a father of three, was involved with the development of the menu.

“Just through who he is and what he represents, and I think it’s something pretty special and we’re very proud to be in this relationship with him,” said Jim Allen, CEO of Hard Rock International.

Several children were in attendance during the menu’s unveiling and were able to ask the Inter Miami player questions.

One question that Messi was asked was how he stayed calm before a big match. He said he enjoys playing in those matches, which is mostly due to his love for the game.

“Getting to hug, pictures with him, it was a memory that will live on forever,” said a fan.

“It felt so amazing ’cause like when I hugged him, he felt like cool, and then I started crying,” said a fan.

After the reveal of the menu, the children headed towards the soccer field to practice their skills with the soccer legend.

The food will be available at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood.

Hard Rock will also sell kid-sized versions of the chef’s coat that Messi wore at the unveiling as well as mini soccer balls. A portion of the proceeds for the soccer balls will go to charity.

That pattern held true again Saturday, when the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner was scratched from the lineup for a matchup against New York City FC — a game with significant Major League Soccer playoff implications for both clubs. Messi has a leg injury, the severity of which has not been revealed by Inter Miami.

The team announced that Messi would not play about 45 minutes before Saturday’s game time.

The 36-year-old superstar has now missed four of Inter Miami’s last five matches, plus another for Argentina in that span because of what was first called fatigue — by both his club and country — and has evolved from there. The only game he didn’t miss during that stretch was a 37-minute appearance against Toronto on Sept. 20, and he had to leave that match before halftime because of what is believed to be a hamstring issue.

Saturday’s absence came with Inter Miami entering the night five points behind NYCFC with two matches in hand. Inter Miami entered the night in control of its playoff destiny, trying to make a push for one of the nine playoff spots out of the Eastern Conference.

After Saturday, the team will have only four MLS matches remaining. And Messi’s status for them remains a mystery, even as some fans pay hundreds of dollars — or more — to attend a match with hopes of seeing him play.

Many fans on social media have responded to posts from the team with outrage over the lack of transparency about Messi’s status. A post previewing the NYCFC match, sent around midday Saturday, elicited comments like “Post the squad and don’t fool your own fans. Have some shame.” and “Can y’all be clear about what’s going on with Messi”

Messi’s status is not the only talking point around the team in recent days. Inter Miami sent out season-ticket renewal notices this week, with big price increases in every section for next season. Season prices in the section where Inter Miami’s most ardent supporters stand, chant and wave banners for the entirety of matches are set to rise 82% (from $485 to $884) in 2024, prices for some seats near midfield will be 98% higher (from $1,333 to $2,635) in some sections than the published price of what they were this year, and other fans were told to expect a more than 100% increase over what they have been paying. The published price for the most expensive season tickets next season tops $40,000, and that isn’t even for the suites.

It surely was expected that prices would rise; Messi’s 2 1/2-year contract will pay him an average of more than $50 million annually, and that doesn’t even take into account what Inter Miami spent to land its other two major midseason acquisitions this year — Jordi Alba (who is also sidelined by injury) and Sergio Busquets.

But it’s also clear that the team is already enjoying revenue streams like never before. MLS revealed Friday that Messi’s jersey — in absolutely no surprise — is the top-seller in the league this season. MLS, without releasing sale numbers, divulged the 25 most popular jerseys sold at mlsstore.com and Messi’s is No. 1, with Busquets at No. 13 and Inter Miami’s Josef Martinez at No. 21.

That data represents all sales on the site since Jan. 1, and Messi and Busquets weren’t even with Inter Miami until July. It also does not include anything that the team has sold on its own.

Messi has 11 goals in 12 matches with Inter Miami this season. The team is 8-0-4 when he plays; seven of those matches were on the team’s run to win its first-ever trophy by claiming the Leagues Cup championship — the irony of that run being that it prompted concerns over how much Messi was being asked to play in a relatively short span after joining his new club. He has appeared in four MLS matches and one U.S. Open Cup semifinal.

The team entered Saturday 1-2-1 in its four matches without Messi since signing the legend. Since his signing, entering Saturday, Inter Miami has outscored opponents 29-12 when Messi is on the field, 12-10 when he is not.

Griffin Dorsey and Amine Bassi scored first-half goals and Houston — with NBA star James Harden, part of the team’s ownership group, looking on from the stands — topped Messi-less Inter Miami 2-1 on Wednesday night to win the U.S. Open Cup.

Josef Martinez scored in second-half stoppage time for Inter Miami, but it wasn’t enough as Messi could only look on from the team bench area.

Messi was not on Inter Miami’s active roster for the match because of a leg issue, marking his fourth absence in a span of his last five games combined for club and country. And it’s unclear if Messi will continue to be sidelined when Inter Miami resumes its push to make Major League Soccer’s playoffs this weekend.

Inter Miami coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino said Wednesday night that “it wasn’t prudent” to consider playing Messi against Houston, though he indicated the team expects him to play on Saturday when MLS contests resume for the club. Messi will continue to be evaluated until then.

The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner was subbed out of a match against Toronto on Sept. 20 in the first half because of a leg issue, and did not play in the team’s 1-1 draw at Orlando on Sunday. That was the third match he missed in its entirety — two for club, one for country — in the last two weeks, and missing a final on Wednesday suggests the problem could be worse than the team has suggested.

Also out for Wednesday: Jordi Alba, another of Inter Miami’s celebrated midseason acquisitions. Alba has a leg injury and his status for upcoming matches is unknown.

The 36-year-old Messi missed Argentina’s World Cup qualifying win at Bolivia on Sept. 12 and Inter Miami’s 5-2 loss at Atlanta United on Sept. 16. He returned for the Sept. 20 match, but didn’t even make it to halftime, then sat out Sunday.

There were downpours in the Fort Lauderdale area late Wednesday afternoon, yet thousands of fans — many of them wearing Messi jerseys either in the blue and white of Argentina or the pink of Inter Miami — showed up long before the gates opened for the Cup final, if for no other reason than to watch the team buses arrive.

They might have seen the buses. They didn’t see Messi on the field, and it might have led to some expensive disappointment for some fans. Ticket prices on the secondary markets, with links to sales posted on the team’s social media channels as recently as Tuesday, ranged from $145 to nearly $4,000 about an hour before the match.

That was down slightly from Tuesday, but still was a clear sign that people were spending big money with hopes of seeing Messi lift another trophy — and on his new home field for the first time. Inter Miami won the Leagues Cup this summer, that title-match win coming on the road in Nashville.

Houston won the U.S. Open Cup for the second time, after also taking the title in 2018. The tournament dates back to 1913 and pits domestic teams — some even from the semi-pro level — from all sorts of U.S. leagues against one another. This year’s field was 99 teams.

Inter Miami is still very much alive in the race to make MLS’ playoffs and has three matches looming in the coming days. The team plays host to New York City FC on Saturday, at Chicago on Oct. 4 and returns home to face Cincinnati on Oct. 7. It trails NYCFC by five points for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot entering Wednesday, with two matches in hand — but that still makes Saturday’s game very important in the standings.

Messi — who will make somewhere between $125 million and $150 million for Inter Miami over the life of his 2-1/2 year contract — has appeared in 12 matches for Miami, most of them in Leagues Cup and U.S. Open Cup competition. He has 11 goals and eight assists, and one goal and two assists in four MLS matches.

But there they were — very noticeable in fact — in the crowd when Messi’s Inter Miami squad took on LAFC in Southern California early this month.

Since Messi arrived in the United States, the league and his team have both been enjoying a rare spotlight, with sell-outs on the road and at home, No. 10 jerseys flying off the shelves, ticket prices at times reaching unheard-of levels and sponsors jumping on board.

“He’s the best player in the world. What did you think he was going to do when he came here?” LAFC coach Steve Cherundolo said after Inter Miami’s star-studded sold-out match in Los Angeles.

It’s almost necessary to be an A-lister to score a good ticket to watch him play: Front-row tickets on the secondary market have been going for thousands of dollars. Regardless of the costs they may incur, more fans are going through the turnstiles to watch the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner and reigning World Cup champion.

“I was never an MLS person,” said Kenny Schorr, a fan from Miami Springs and former college soccer player who was at a recent Inter Miami game. “I would watch a game and get frustrated. The talent level was so different. I’m not trying to put anybody down, But you look at what Messi does and the talent is only going to increase with his presence.”

Messi Mania has even reached beyond the pitch.

The day after Messi posted on social media about his meal from Banchero Pizza, a homey Argentine-style pizzeria in Miami’s North Beach, there was a line out the door at the restaurant.

Clearly, the demand for all things Messi is off the charts, but will that translate to greater success for MLS in the United States, where “football” means the NFL not soccer?

“With the arrival of Messi, everything is changing, everything is opening eyes,” LAFC defender Giorgio Chiellini said. “It’s a step. Part of that has to be a step, then many will want to invest and they could have the opportunity to do it. This league has huge potential. Now it’s time to show this potential.”

Messi, 36, has 11 goals and eight assists in 12 games across all competitions for Inter Miami. He’s already helped the team secure one trophy, this summer’s League’s Cup. On Wednesday, Miami will host the Houston Dynamo for another title, the U.S. Open Cup.

But Messi’s status for the game is uncertain: He’s been dealing with scar tissue from an old injury, according to coach Tata Martino. Even so, tickets on the secondary market for Wednesday’s match were ranging from about $170 to more than $5,000 apiece.

MLS has gotten a bump from an international star before. David Beckham, now Messi’s boss as co-owner of Inter Miami, was a game-changer for the league when he signed with the LA Galaxy in 2007. The league literally changed the rules for Beckham, devising the Designated Player rule that allows teams to sign high-profile players without them counting toward the salary cap. Messi was signed under the same rule.

With his Hollywood good looks and his Spice Girl wife, Beckham raised the profile of the league.

Fox Soccer analyst Alexi Lalas, who was president of the Galaxy when Beckham joined, said that while Beckham helped boost the league’s profile, Messi is elevating the game itself.

“Messi is arguably the greatest player to play the game. That conversation was not had relative to David Beckham, as good as he was as a player,” Lalas said. “I think the impact of Messi is going to be greater in terms of the on-field product and the evolution and the growth of that, in that I think that he almost gives license to others to at least consider coming to Major League Soccer.”

For now, the fans are responding to what MLS is offering with Messi as the face of the league.

So far, average attendance in MLS is up nearly 5% over last year, although the league also added a new team in St. Louis this season. Inter Miami’s attendance is up 36% over last year.

Television viewership is more difficult to gauge because league games are broadcast on Apple TV’s MLS Season Pass, a subscription-based streaming platform that was launched this season. Apple TV hasn’t shared ratings.

Streaming measurement firm Antenna reported 110,075 new MLS Season Pass signups on the day of Messi’s Inter Miami debut. That’s a 280% increase from the number of sign-ups on opening day of the 2023 season. Another 65,000 signed up when he played his second game, according to data first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

Messi’s No. 10 jersey is the best-selling jersey in the history of the MLS store. Sales surpassed every other jersey sold this season on the league’s website within just 45 minutes of its release, and there’s a backlog of orders still waiting to be filled.

Sponsors are also buying in. Royal Caribbean signed a multiyear partnership deal with Inter Miami in August.

All told, Inter Miami chief business officer Xavier Asensi has predicted in interviews that the club is on target to hit record revenues of more than $200 million in 2024, on par with some European clubs.

Still, it remains to be seen how widespread the Messi effect will be, whether fans will be wooed to the league as a whole.

Julio Morales, who was holding a painting he did of Messi before the Miami match at LAFC, said he paid $600 for his ticket to see Messi.

“We’ll see how the games go,” Morales said about whether he’ll start following MLS. “I mean, if the games get better, then maybe.”

The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner was subbed out of a match against Toronto on Sept. 20 in the first half because of a leg issue, and did not play in the team’s 1-1 tie at Orlando on Sunday. That was the third match he missed in its entirety — two for club, one for country — in the last two weeks.

Messi was not on the field for the portion of a training session that was available to reporters on Tuesday. Speaking at a post-practice news conference at the team’s headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, Inter Miami coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino said no decision on Messi’s status will be made before Wednesday.

“It’s a handicap when you don’t have the best player in the world,” Inter Miami midfielder Sergio Busquets said.

The nature of Messi’s leg problem remains unclear. Fatigue was originally cited for Messi’s absences, and Martino eventually said last week that the problem stems from scar tissue from a previous injury. Messi was seen stretching at times during the Sept. 20 match, as if to indicate he was having some sort of muscular issue.

Jordi Alba, another midseason acquisition by Inter Miami, is expected to miss the Cup final because of injury, Martino said. He left the Sept. 20 match against Toronto about three minutes before Messi was subbed out.

The 36-year-old Messi missed Argentina’s World Cup qualifying win at Bolivia on Sept. 12, and Inter Miami’s 5-2 loss at Atlanta United on Sept. 16. He returned for the Sept. 20 match, but didn’t even make it to halftime.

Inter Miami is still very much alive in the race to make Major League Soccer’s playoffs and has three matches looming in the coming days. The team plays host to New York City FC on Saturday, at Chicago on Oct. 4 and returns home to face Cincinnati on Oct. 7.

Martino indicated that any decision on Messi’s availability for those upcoming MLS matches will be made after Wednesday.

The team has lost only once in 15 matches since Messi first appeared for the club, winning nine and tying five. Three of those ties came in tournament play, with Inter Miami winning on penalty kicks all three times — two in the Leagues Cup, including the final against Nashville for the Miami club’s first-ever trophy, and another in the U.S. Open Cup semifinals.

Messi — who will make somewhere between $125 million and $150 million in salary for Inter Miami over the life of his 2-1/2 year contract — has appeared in 12 matches for Miami, most of them in Leagues Cup and U.S. Open Cup competition. He has 11 goals and eight assists, and one goal and two assists in four MLS matches.

But there is concern that the workload from playing so often is catching up with Messi.

“We’re not machines, we’re not robots,” Busquets said. “We’d love to play all the matches and not be tired and not have injuries. But it’s something we can’t control.”

Tickets on the secondary market for Wednesday’s match, (sales were promoted by the team Tuesday morning, even with Messi’s status unclear), were ranging from about $170 to more than $5,000 apiece.

The Leagues Cup trophy was the 44th major championship that Messi has been part of for club and country in his career, which is believed to be the most in world history.

Inter Miami (9-15-5) played without Lionel Messi, who was held out because of muscle fatigue. Messi missed a Sept. 16 match against Atlanta United for the same reason.

Neither team scored until David Ruíz found the net for a second time this season, scoring unassisted in the 52nd minute to give Inter Miami a 1-0 lead.

Orlando City (14-7-9) answered with the equalizer when McGuire scored his ninth goal of the season, unassisted in the 66th minute.

Pedro Gallese finished with four saves for Orlando City. Drake Callender stopped five shots for Inter Miami.

Orlando City has scored in 13 straight matches in all competitions, one off the club record set spanning the 2015-16 seasons. The club saw a four-match win streak at home end but it is still 6-0-4 in its last 10.

Inter Miami is 0-2-4 all-time in Orlando. Both losses were by one goal. Inter Miami has gone 9-1-5 in its last 15 matches in all competitions. The club had eight victories in its previous 28 matches.

Inter Miami returns home to host New York City FC on Saturday. Orlando City will host CF Montreal on Saturday.

Messi was subbed off in the 37th minute of Inter Miami’s match against Toronto, after spending a few minutes laboring with what appeared to be a leg issue. Miami came up big without him, winning 4-0 to move within five points of the final playoff spot in Major League Soccer’s Eastern Conference.

Robert Taylor, who came on for Messi, had two goals and an assist. But Messi’s status overshadowed everything, and Inter Miami coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino said after the game that the Argentine star will miss Sunday’s game at Orlando.

“He had an old injury that had been bothering him,” Martino said, as relayed through a team official who translated his remarks from Spanish to English.

In an earlier answer that was not translated, Martino said Messi would miss at least one more match. The 36-year-old Messi had missed two matches — one for club, the other for country — in recent days, after sitting out Argentina’s World Cup qualifying win at Bolivia on Sept. 12, and Inter Miami’s 5-2 loss at Atlanta United this past Saturday.

Fatigue was cited in both cases, and the team did not provide any diagnosis of what is troubling the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner now. The game was scoreless when Messi was subbed out.

It was the second big injury blow for Inter Miami on Wednesday. Jordi Alba — another celebrated midseason addition — had to leave in the 34th minute, shortly before Messi’s night was over. Alba will not play Sunday, either.

“We had to step up,” Taylor said.

Facundo Farias and second-half sub Benjamin Cremaschi had the other goals.

“It shows the depth that we have on our team,” goalie Drake Callender said.

Messi had a couple of chances Wednesday, and appeared to stop running somewhat abruptly after carrying the ball deep into the Toronto box in the 33rd minute. He was barely engaged after that, leaning forward at one point as if to stretch the back of his legs, then eventually took off his captain’s armband — actually trying a long pass while holding the armband — before waiting for play to stop so he could depart.

Messi didn’t even wait to come off the field before unlacing his cleats, lowering his socks and removing his shin guards. He placed the captain’s band onto the arm of DeAndre Yedlin — who was Inter Miami’s captain before Messi began his stint with the team in July — and now it’s anyone’s guess when Messi will wear it again. The team would likely want him to play in the U.S. Open Cup final on Sept. 27.

Martino, per the team’s translation, said Messi was removed from Wednesday’s game “to be safe.”

“We don’t think it’s a muscular injury. That’s also from a conversation that I just had with him,” Martino said via the translation, even though Messi was stretching in a manner that suggested otherwise before leaving the field. “But we have to continue being careful and we’ll look at him the next few days.”

Wednesday’s match was the first of what will be six for Inter Miami in a span of 17 days. The team plays at Orlando on Sunday, then will host Houston in the U.S. Open Cup final on Sept. 27. That will be followed by three more MLS matches in short order: against New York City FC on Sept. 30, at Chicago on Oct. 4 and playing host to Cincinnati on Oct. 7.

The daunting stretch will be even tougher if Messi isn’t around. Miami entered Wednesday seven points behind D.C. United for the final playoff spot in the East, with two matches in hand. D.C. United picked up a point by tying Atlanta on Wednesday, so Inter Miami’s three points for its win cut the deficit to five.

Despite its place in the standings, Inter Miami now controls its postseason destiny. Win out in MLS matches, and a team that was at the bottom of the conference before Messi arrived will be in the playoffs.

The Atlanta game halted what had been a 12-match unbeaten streak for Inter Miami since Messi debuted for the team against Mexican side Cruz Azul in the Leagues Cup on July 21. Inter Miami had gone 8-0-4 in those 12 matches, with three of those games that ended as ties being outcomes for the team to celebrate after advancing on penalty kicks — two in the Leagues Cup, including the final against Nashville for the Miami club’s first-ever trophy, and another in the U.S. Open Cup semifinals.

Messi has now appeared in 12 matches over two months for Miami, most of them in Leagues Cup and U.S. Open Cup competition. He ha 11 goals and eight assists, and one goal and two assists in four MLS matches.

Leo Campana scored two goals for Inter Miami, which also was without defender Jordi Alba. The story of the night, however, was the absence of Messi. Messi’s absence for the Major League Soccer match was a disappointment for a crowd of 71,635 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

The five goals matched Atlanta’s second-highest total of the season. Atlanta beat Columbus 6-1 on March 25 and also scored five goals in a 5-1 win over Portland on March 18.

Brooks Lennon, who also had an assist, scored on the 41st minute to give Atlanta a 2-1 lead. Atlanta took a 4-2 advantage when Giorgos Giakoumakis scored on assists from Thiago Almada and Saba Lobzhanidze in the 76th minute. It was the Atlanta United-record 15th assist of the season for Almada.

Tyler Wolff’s late goal pushed the lead to three goals.

Atlanta United began the night in sixth place in the Eastern Conference, three points behind Columbus.

Messi has said he wants to win the MLS championship. Miami failed on its opportunity to move up from 14th in the East.

Atlanta is among five MLS stadiums with artificial turf surfaces. Miami did not announce reasons that Messi and defender Jordi Alba did not dress, but Atlanta United owner Arthur Blank believes the FieldTurf was not the reason.

Blank referred to Messi’s statement after signing with Inter Miami that he wouldn’t avoid playing on FieldTurf.

“I think he made that decision. I don’t really have an opinion on that. I’d just repeat what he said in his press conference, that he has competed on artificial turf since he was a youngster and to some extent as a professional, Blank said. “I don’t think it had anything to do with his decision. I think he suffered some sort of injury, however minor it might be.”

Blank spoke at a news conference before the match to discuss details of Friday’s announcement that the U.S. Soccer Federation plans to build a national training center in Atlanta. The project is backed by a $50 million donation from Blank.

Blank said NFL research since 2021 showed injuries on FieldTurf and natural grass to be “about the same.” Falcons CEO Rich McKay, a member of the NFL competition committee who also attended the news conference, also said research showed injuries on FieldTurf and grass to be similarly common.

Messi’s absence for the Major League Soccer match was a disappointment for a crowd of 71,635 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Many fans wore pink Inter Miami shirts with Messi’s name on the back. Flozel Marriott, a native of Jamaica and Atlanta resident who previously lived in Miami, attended the game with his wife, daughters and nephew. All wore Messi jerseys, though he said he otherwise supports Atlanta United.

“I was an Argentina fan growing up and I’ve always been a fan of Messi,” Marriott said. “I’m an Atlanta fan as well, but today I’m here supporting Messi. I want my children to see a legend.”

Marriott was surprised to hear Messi would not attend the game.

“No, I did not know that,” Marriott said, looking at his family. “If he’s not, they’re going to be disappointed. That’s where we spent all the money, just to see him.”

Messi watched from the bench on Tuesday in Argentina’s World Cup qualifying win at Bolivia. Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni said Messi was not feeling well.

Miami coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino said Friday he will avoid overworking the 36-year-old Messi during a busy portion of the team’s schedule.

“We will be careful with him because we have a lot of important games in a short span,” said Martino, the former Atlanta coach.

Miami has matches at home against Toronto on Wednesday and at Orlando on Sept. 24.

“This is something that we knew would happen at some point,” Martino said, adding Messi needed time “to get used to our needs.”

The home sprawls over 10,500 square feet, with 10 bedrooms, 9.5 bathrooms, a three-car garage, and a pool that would make any soccer fan dribble with envy.

Team Simpkin, led by Samuel and Donna Simpkin, has partnered with Inter Miami CF since day one, delivering services to athletes, coaches, staff, and their families as the team has grown over the years.

“This is a full circle moment for us,” said Samuel Simpkin, Principal of Team Simpkin of Compass in a press release. “Myself having a soccer background and our team being deeply vested in the Fort Lauderdale community; it is truly an honor to help this organization continue to build its legacy.”

Facundo Farias added the third goal for Miami (8-14-4), which remains 14th in the Eastern Conference table.

The match was a test for Miami, which is 11-0-1 in cup and MLS matches since Messi’s arrival with the club. He already has 11 goals and eight assists with the team. Miami was winless in 11 straight before Messi’s debut on July 21.

He scored the winning goal in Argentina’s 1-0 victory over Ecuador on Thursday and has another national team commitment against Bolivia on Tuesday.

The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner is scheduled to return to Miami for its next league match at Atlanta FC next Saturday.

The lack of Messi was evident in the stands. Although the crowd at DRV PNK Stadium sang throughout the match and cheered loudly after each goal, there were noticeable pockets of empty seats.

In addition to Messi, seven other Miami players were called by their national teams for qualifiers and missed the match.

Campana’s second goal in the 45th minute snapped a 1-1 tie. DeAndre Yedlin dribbled deep into the right wing area and centered a pass to a leaping Campana who headed it past Sporting KC goalkeeper Tim Melia.

Farias made it 3-1 with his goal in the 60th minute. Sergio Busquets’ free kick from midfield found an open Farias, who dribbled unchallenged into the penalty area and beat Melia with a right-footed shot from 15 yards.

Alan Pulido got Sporting KC (8-12-8) within a goal in the 78th minute.

Miami faced an early deficit, when Dániel Sallói scored nine minutes into the match. Goalkeeper Drake Callender deflected Felipe Gutierrez’s 25-yard shot but failed to clear it. Salloi found the loose ball on the edge of the 6-yard box and converted with a right-footed shot inside the right post.

Miami tied it on Campana’s penalty kick in the 25th minute. Melia fouled Campana near the 6-yard box when he struck the Miami striker around the neck area. Campana beat Melia with a shot to his left.

MLS Season Pass, which is Apple’s streaming package that broadcasts the soccer matches, experienced 1,690% growth in sign-ups the day Messi first played for his new team Inter Miami, according to analytics firm Antenna. Newly released data shows that the streaming package had about 6,000 subscription sign-ups the day before, but that soared to 110,000 sign-ups on his July 21 debut in the Leagues Cup.

In a blog post Tuesday, Antenna said that the “Messi Effect” on a year-old streaming package was “unique and profound.” Ordinarily, Antenna said that sport-specific streaming services experience a large portion of sign-ups at the beginning of the season with “gradual additions” as the season progresses because of big games or pricing promotions.

But nearly half of MLS Season Pass sign-ups to date happened in July after Messi joined the league, showing the surge in interest that Messi brought to Major League Soccer.

Antenna’s research also found that 15% of MLS Season Pass subscribers have also become Apple TV+ subscribers, the home of Apple’s largely scripted programming that includes relative hits like “The Morning Show” and “Ted Lasso.” And nearly half of new subscribers already had Apple TV+ before adding MLS Season Pass, which currently costs an additional $12.99 per month, to their subscription.

Notably, Antenna’s data only includes US sign-ups, so it’s not fully capturing the global appeal the international superstar likely has.

Apple has remained mum on how many subscribers the service has. Apple SVP of services Eddy Cue recently said it’s doing “much better than forecasted” for the number of subscriptions and viewers. CEO Tim Cook echoed that on an August earnings call, saying that the “fact that Messi went to Inter Miami helped us out there a bit.”

Messi regularly promotes the MLS Season Pass on match days by adding a link for signups on his Instagram stories. That isn’t a surprise since his deal with Inter Miami includes a cut of the revenue from new subscribers of MLS Season Pass, according to multiple reports.

Last summer, Apple signed the MLS to a 10-year, $2.5 billion deal to stream matches internationally, becoming the tech company’s first major sports deal.

Messi’s signing “makes Apple’s media rights deal more valuable than it could have ever imagined,” David Rumsey, reporter for Front Office Sports, previously told CNN. He said that he’s “confident the company would have had to pay a higher fee than the $250 million annual deal it agreed to last summer if Messi was already in the league.”

On Sunday night it played its best game of the season on the road against the defending MLS Cup champions.

Messi had two assists in front of a star-studded crowd in Inter Miami’s 3-1 victory over Los Angeles Football Club.

“We’ve had many complex matches. I think because of the quality of the opponent today, this was one of the most challenging and the one that we performed the best within 90 minutes. I think it’s a very good sign,” Miami coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino said.

Facundo Farías, Jordi Alba and Leonardo Campana scored for Miami, which is unbeaten in its last 11 matches across all competitions.

Ryan Hollingshead scored for LAFC, which has dropped its last two.

Miami’s visit to Los Angeles was marked as one of the highlight games since Messi signed. It was viewed by 22,921 fans, a record for LAFC’s BMO Stadium.

It also vaulted into one of the most-demanded tickets in MLS’ 27-year history.

According to TickPick, the average purchase price for the match was $717, which was 515% more than the $110 before he signed.

By comparison, Beyonce’s concert at SoFi Stadium had an average purchase price of $493.

Among the celebrities in attendance were Prince Harry, LAFC co-owner Will Ferrell, Leonardo DiCaprio, Selena Gomez, Owen Wilson, Mario Lopez and Edward Norton. “Ted Lasso” stars Jason Sudeikis and Brendan Hunting also were at the game.

“It felt similar to a playoff game at the beginning, but I think that is what we expected,” LAFC coach Steve Cherundolo said.

Sunday’s match, though, will be Messi’s last with Miami for at least the next two weeks. The 36-year-old will be part of Argentina’s World Cup qualifiers against Ecuador on Thursday and Bolivia five days later

“We will try to put together the best performance possible against Kansas City (on Saturday),” Martino said. “We’ll also hope that the players leaving come back healthy and well so that we can continue this stretch.”

Messi has 11 goals and eight assists for Miami, which is eight points out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with eight regular-season matches remaining.

Alba and Sergio Busquets, who were Messi’s teammate when they were at Barcelona, are also coming into form. Alba has two goals since coming to Miami while Busquets set up the pass for Messi that led to Alba’s goal.

“They’re playing in a disciplined manner,’ Cherundolo said of Miami. “It’s very clear that they’re extremely effective on the offensive end. What that means for opponents is you have to be the same because you’re not going to have many chances.”

Messi had a wide-open shot in front of the net in the 38th minute, but LAFC goalkeeper John McCarthy used his left foot to make the save.

Gomez, like many in the crowd, were surprised that McCarthy stopped a point blank shot by Messi. While McCarthy wasn’t happy about the result, he did get Messi’s jersey after the game.

“He got past one of our guys, I saw him about to pull the trigger and made myself as big as possible,” said McCarthy, who made three saves in the match.

Farías, who turned 21 on Aug. 28, made his second start since joining the club in late July and scored his first goal in the 14th minute.

Tomas Avilés made a great pass at midfield as Farías was running up the right side of the field. Farías had an opening between two LAFC defenders and made a sliding shot with his outstretched right foot that beat McCarthy, hit the far post and bounced in.

Alba doubled LAFC’s advantage in the 51st minute with a left-footer. Messi had a 2-on-1 breakaway in the 83rd minute before passing to Campana, who had a wide-open shot at the net.

Hollingshead averted the shutout with a header off a corner kick.

Thiago Almada of Atlanta United and Alan Velasco of FC Dallas were also included by coach Lionel Scaloni for games against Ecuador and Bolivia in September.

The 36-year-old Messi joined Inter Miami in July and has already scored 11 goals for the club.

World Cup champion Argentina will take on Ecuador at home on Sept. 7 in Buenos Aires, before playing Bolivia away in La Paz five days later.

Argentina:

Goalkeepers: Franco Armani (River Plate), Walter Benítez (PSV Eindhoven), Emiliano Martínez (Aston Villa), and Juan Musso (Atalanta).

Defenders: Lucas Esquivel (Athletico Paranaense), Juan Foyth (Villarreal), Lisandro Martínez (Manchester United), Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid), Gonzalo Montiel (Nottingham Forest), Nicolás Otamendi (Benfica), Germán Pezzella (Real Betis), Cristian Romero (Tottenham), Marcos Senesi (Bournemouth) and Nicolás Tagliafico (Lyon).

Midfielders: Thiago Almada (Atlanta United), Facundo Buonanotte (Brighton), Rodrigo De Paul (Atletico Madrid), Enzo Fernández (Chelsea), Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool), Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen), Leandro Paredes (AS Roma), Guido Rodríguez (Real Betis) and Bruno Zapelli (Athletico Paranaense).

Forwards: Julián Álvarez (Manchester City), Lucas Beltrán (Fiorentina), Nicolás González (Fiorentina), Ángel Correa (Atletico Madrid), Ángel Di María (Benfica), Alejandro Garnacho (Manchester United), Lautaro Martínez (Inter Milan), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami) and Alan Velasco (FC Dallas).

Ticket prices for this Sunday’s match between Inter Miami and Los Angeles FC are the most expensive for a Major League Soccer game ever, according to TickPick, an online marketplace.

Average prices are around $690 — a 527% increase over the average ticket price of an MLS game, which used to cost $110 before soccer superstar Leo Messi joined the league.

Currently, just days from the game, the cheapest ticket to see Messi take on last year’s MLS Cup winners will cost $785. Without Messi, prices fall sharply, with the cheapest ticket for the following LAFC game being 80% less expensive at $151 for seat, according to TickPick.

However, this could be the ceiling for ticket prices. TickPick co-CEO Brett Goldberg told CNN that the market is “likely to stabilize prices at their current level, although there’s potential for an upward shift in price due to the heightened demand.”

Plus, LAFC is one the most popular MLS teams in the league, so demand is always high, Goldberg said, adding that “in this case you have one of the biggest athletes in the world coming to town.”

Messi’s appearances have regularly juiced ticket prices ever since he joined the MLS. For last week’s game, in which Messi made his regular season debut, prices were nearly 1,000% higher than usual for a New York Red Bulls ticket.

“Messi mania” extends beyond the pitch, too. Apple said that subscriptions to its soccer streaming package have soared since Messi joined in July. And Adidas said that demand for Messi’s jersey has been “truly unprecedented,” sparking an order backlog until October.

Retailer Soccer.com told CNN last week that the top eight best-selling jerseys on its website are Messi related, including his Argentina kit and the Inter Miami shirt. The Florida team is now the top-selling MLS club kit in all US states except Vermont. Previously, the Inter Miami jersey was the top-selling jersey only in Florida.

Messi failed to convert two free kick attempts in his first Major League Soccer match at home, and it was the first time during his Inter Miami tenure that he was kept off the score sheet.

Inter Miami still earned a point in the standings as it looks to make a late-season playoff push. Miami entered the game 11 points shy of the MLS playoff line and needing to move up from 14th to ninth place to make the playoffs.

Miami had won its previous nine matches as Messi’s addition gave the team an immediate boost. He has scored 10 goals, including three multi-goal performances.

Messi started the game Wednesday along with former Barcelona teammate Sergio Busquets after the two entered Miami’s previous match against the New York Red Bulls in the 60th minute.

Miami had no shots on goal Wednesday through the first 60 minutes as the team struggled to break through Nashville’s defense.

Messi attempted a free kick in the 60th minute after drawing a foul on Nashville’s Dax McCarty, but the shot to the bottom-left corner was stopped by Elliot Panicco.

Still, Inter Miami fans took out their phones to record the free kick, just in case the seven-time Ballon d’Or delivered another goal similar to the one in his debut — when he scored in the 94th minute to give Miami a win over Mexican Club Cruz Azul in the Leagues Cup opener.

Nahsville’s Hany Mukhtar had a goal erased by an offside call in the 69th minute.

Messi got another chance in the 83rd minute, but the shot bounced off the wall of defenders.

The two teams met 10 days ago in the Leagues Cup final. Messi scored early in regulation and converted the first shot in penalty kicks, and Miami won after an 11-round penalty kick shootout for its first ever trophy.

Messi and Inter Miami players posed with co-owner Jorge Mas on the field Wednesday with the Leagues Cup trophy for the first time in front of their home fans.

Forty-eight years after Pelé joined the North American Soccer League’s New York Cosmos in an effort to jumpstart soccer in the United States, the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner entered in the 60th minute to huge cheers.

Messi scored with the help of a pair of former Barcelona teammates.

Jordi Alba made an acrobatic leap for Sergio Busquets’ cross and with his back to the ground and left leg raised, Busquets used the side of his foot to center the ball to Messi. The 36-year-old star settled the ball to keep it from defender Peter Stroud, dribbled to his right and threaded a pass between Andrés Reyes and Daniel Edelman to 18-year-old American Benjamin Cremaschi.

As goalkeeper Carlos Coronel moved to cover the near post, Cremaschi beat defender John Tolkin and one-touched the ball back to Messi. He sprinted toward goal and let it bounce off his left foot and in into the unguarded net from 3 yards for his 11th goal in nine games for Miami in all competitions.

The match drew a record crowd of 26,276 to Red Bull Arena in the Red Bulls’ first home sellout this season, and resale tickets were listed for over $1,000 in the week leading to the game.

Alba was among four starters making his MLS debut and Busquets entered with Messi for his first match.

Messi followed David Beckham, Thierry Henry and Zlatan Ibrahimović to a far-more stable league than Pelé joined, one that hopes to one day challenge the more established American sports in popularity.

Chants of “We Want Messi!” began in the sixth minute and a loud “Mes-si!” “Mes-si!” reverberated throughout in the 35th.

Fan focus was on Messi when he started to warm up three minutes into the second half, and a roar erupted when Martino signaled for him to take off his pinny and head to the center stripe.

Messi played his first Miami game on July 21 in the Leagues Cup and scored 10 goals in seven games in that competition and a U.S. Open Cup semifinal.

Miami (6 wins, 14 losses, 3 draws) had not won a league match since May 13 against New England and had just one road victory, on April 29 at Columbus. New York is 7-10-8.

The streets around outside the stadium were packed 2 1/2 hours before the match, filled with dozens of scalpers and people selling unlicensed Messi jerseys. A simulcast of the game was scheduled on a videoboard in Times Square. About half wore Messi jerseys from Argentina, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Miami.

Miami scored the first goal when Alba took a free kick after a foul by Reyes and the ball was punched out Coronel. Robert Taylor played the ball wide to Noah Allen, and the 19-year-old defender made a diagonal pass to Gómez, who settled with a touch and put the ball inside the far post with a left foot shot from about 14 yards.

Miami remained unbeaten in eight matches with Messi heading into his Major League Soccer debut on Saturday at the New York Red Bulls. The 36-year-old, a seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, joined the team last month and led it to the title of the Leagues Cup.

Cincinnati led 2-0 on goals by Luciano Acosta in the 18th and Brandon Vazquez in the 53rd before Messi set up goals by Leonardo Campana in the 68th minute and seventh minute of stoppage time.

Josef Martínez put Miami ahead 3-2 three minutes into extra time, but Yuya Kubo retied the score in the 114th minute.

Messi made Miami’s first attempt in the shootout, and the teams were perfect through four rounds. Herons goalkeeper Drake Callender saved Nick Hagglund’s kick in the fifth round, and Ben Cremaschi made his PK to send Miami to another tournament final.

Houston won the other semifinal, beating visiting Salt Lake 3-1 in extra time. The Dynamo got goals from Héctor Herrera in the fifth minute of first-half stoppage time, Adalberto Carrasquilla in the 105th and Luis Caicedo five minutes into the second extra session. Anderson Julio scored an equalizer in the 64th.

Miami will host the final on Sept. 27.

Cremaschi quickly was met by his teammates after the ball hit the back of the net, and they danced around in a group circle on the field while Cincinnati players knelt in disappointment.

“I think we were lacking sharpness to navigate that first half,” Miami coach Tata Martino said through a translator. “We were a step off. I saw a team with one gear less than our rival. The good thing about all of this is that we didn’t drop our shoulders, we pressed on. It’s not easy in a semifinal to turn things around the way we did. We adapted a lot. I think we were controlling the game well in the second half. And the penalties, after that … If I’d had this kind of luck in penalties for the rest of my career, things would have been a lot less stressful.”

Messi scored 10 goals in seven League Cup matches and was held scoreless for the first time since joining Miami. His first assist came off a free kick and his second on a long cross into the penalty area set up Campana’s second goal on a header.

Before the penalty shootout, Messi gathered his teammates and appeared to be giving a speech. After Kubo made the first attempt, Messi placed his spot kick low to the left corner while by backup goalkeeper Alec Kann, who starts cup matches, dove the other way.

“He’s a leader on the pitch and with the group he’s shown it for a long time, not only here with Miami but also with Argentina,” Martino said. “Luckily, players get behind his leadership and enthusiasm in his response for every moment, no matter the circumstances, and today he showed it more as a conductor than a finisher, and you saw that with the pass late in the match but he makes difficult plays look easy.”

Messi didn’t attempt a shot until right before the final overtime whistle, an attempt easily saved.

Throughout the first half, FC Cincinnati had done well to close the space whenever Messi got on the ball.

“He makes the delivery on the plays that matter, and that’s where he’s a difference-maker,” Cincinnati coach Pat Noonan said. “I thought as a whole the guys did a pretty good job of limited moments where he could be in dangerous spots to cause us problems, at times, having him drift a little further from goal and be a playmaker. I thought we handled those moments pretty well along the back line and I thought the 1 versus 1 moments and when we could double, we got a lot of those moments right to be able to win the ball, so we knew it was going to be a difficult challenge, but I thought overall the guys had some good discipline in trying to limit a very elite player.”

Acosta scored his 14th goal in all competitions, a header from Aaron Boupendza’s feed. Vazquez, a U.S. national team forward, scored from outside the penalty area off a low cross from former Atletico Madrid and Colombia international defender Santiago Arias.

Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, wide receivers Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd and defensive end Sam Hubbard were in attendance and took part in pre-game festivities.

Saturday’s Inter Miami CF match marks Messi’s first regular season Major League Soccer game, and demand to see it is sending ticket prices nearly 1,000% higher than they usually are for the New York Red Bulls.

Ticket reseller VividSeats told CNN that the average price for this weekend’s game is averaging $483. That’s well above the usual $46 it costs to snag a ticket to the MLS team, which plays in Harrison, New Jersey (a half hour away from Manhattan).

A search on VividSeats reveals that some seats are costing as much as $3,600 for the first-row, but you have to buy all four, totaling nearly $15,000. Of course, there are plenty of cheaper seats, with some as “low” as $345.

For the New York Red Bulls, Messi’s appearance is “trending as the Red Bull’s hottest ticket in over a decade,” a VividSeats spokesperson told CNN. The second costliest game for a ticket was a friendly with FC Barcelona in July 2022, when a ticket cost about $270.

Prices for MLS games where Messi is playing have surged since the 36-year-old entered American competition. He’s also been on a hot streak since his American arrival last month. Last weekend, he helped Inter Miami capture the Leagues Cup title and scored the club’s first trophy. The Leagues Cup is an annual tournament between MLS and Mexico’s Liga MX.

The pressure is only intensified for Messi this weekend, when Inter Miami tries to climb out of last place in the MLS standings and possibly into playoff contention as the season nears its ending in October.

“Messi mania” extends beyond the pitch, too. Apple said that subscriptions to its soccer streaming package have soared since Messi joined in July. And Adidas said that demand for Messi’s jersey has been “truly unprecedented,” sparking an order backlog until October.

Retailer Soccer.com told CNN on Tuesday that top eight-selling jerseys on its website are Messi related, including his Argentina kit and Inter Miami shirt. The Florida team is now the top-selling MLS club kit in all US states, except Vermont. Previous to him joining, the Inter Miami jersey was the only top-selling jersey in Florida.

The grand event will take place on Wednesday, August 30 at DRV PNK Stadium as the club goes head-to-head against Nashville SC at 7:30 p.m.

Fans are encouraged to seize this opportunity and ensure they arrive early to bask in the excitement of the occasion. The event promises to be a highlight for both the club and its dedicated supporters.

The impressive journey to securing the Leagues Cup title ended Saturday night at GEODIS Park in a penalty shootout.

The victory marked a crowning achievement for the team, having won seven consecutive matches en route to clinching the coveted title.

The campaign saw Inter Miami CF defeating opponents such as Cruz Azul, Atlanta United, Orlando City SC, FC Dallas, Charlotte FC, Philadelphia Union, and culminating in a decisive victory over Nashville SC.

For more information and to secure your spot at the celebration, click here.

Messi scored for the 10th time in seven games since joining Inter Miami, converting in the 23rd minute.

The ball landed at Messi’s feet after a pass from teammate Robert Taylor was blocked. Messi dribbled past Nashville defender Walker Zimmerman and unleashed a bending shot from just outside the penalty box into the top left corner of the goal. Diving goalkeeper Elliot Panicco had no chance at playing the ball.

Messi wasn’t particularly influential before he scored the goal, and the crowd showered him with boos each time he touched the ball. But the stadium erupted in cheers when the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner who led Argentina to the World Cup crown last year scored.

Nashville tied the game in the 56th minute when Fafa Picault’s header off a corner kick ricocheted off Miami’s Benjamin Cremaschi and into the net off goalkeeper Drake Callendar.

Messi had a shot from the area he had scored from earlier in the 71st minute, but hit the post as the teams played to a 1-1 draw in regulation.

Miami striker Leonardo Campana had a chance to win the game in the last play in regulation, but his sliding shot on an open goal hit the post. Messi held his head in his hands when the ball trickled out of play.

Messi calmly converted the first shot in penalties as Miami claimed its first trophy.

Messi mania had gripped Music City after Nashville SC advanced to the final against Miami FC with a win against Monterrey of the Mexican league on Tuesday. Ticket prices skyrocketed after they went on sale the following day but eased somewhat in the days before the game. The cheapest seats still cost several hundred dollars. A capacity crowd of 30,109 filled Geodis Park.

Nashville native Reese Witherspoon brought out the game ball and NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo took some shots on goal before the game. Both are minority owners of Nashville SC.

For Messi, these are reminders that he made the right choice. He could have continued his acclaimed career with another stint in Barcelona, where he rose to stardom. He could have signed a lucrative deal to play for Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia. He chose the unfamiliar — to travel stateside and play soccer in the United States, and he’s glad about it.

“From the beginning, from my arrival, it’s been an impressive welcome that we’ve received,” Messi said through an interpreter. He spoke publicly Thursday for the first time since announcing on June 7 that he’d join Inter Miami of the MLS.

“Today I can tell you that I am very happy with the decision we made,” Messi said at Miami’s DRV PNK Stadium in a room so full of reporters that some sat on the floor.

The 36-year-old said he’s still adapting to his new surroundings. His family is in a temporary place in South Florida while they search for a permanent home. His three sons will start school soon.

He’s still getting used to “hot and humid” Florida, but overall, the transition has been “much easier than expected” compared to his move from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain, where he played the past two years.

“Me going to Paris was neither planned nor desired,” Messi said. “I did not want to leave Barcelona, and it became difficult. But it is the opposite of what is happening to me now, thanks to God.”

Since Messi’s announcement, Inter Miami hired former Barcelona and Argentina national team coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino and signed former Barcelona captain Sergio Busquets and veteran defender Jordi Alba.

The club’s rise since has been meteoric.

Messi has scored nine goals in six matches with his new club, which is in last place in the MLS Eastern Conference with a record of 5-14-3. Now on a six-match winning streak, Inter Miami will compete for its first title Saturday against Nashville in the Leagues Cup final.

“Ever since the competition started, we knew that we would be starting from scratch because there was a new coach with the team and other new players,” Messi said. “From the very beginning, we’ve done very well thanks to all the new teammates that are here. This was a nice opportunity to start to change and to set hard goals for us, but goals that we were prepared to achieve.”

Miami defeated Philadelphia — a top-three team in the Eastern Conference — in the semifinal round on Tuesday. Messi ripped a shot from 30 yards past three Philadelphia defenders in the 20th minute of the 4-1 victory.

In his debut on July 21, the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner sent a free kick into the upper left corner of the net in the 94th minute to give Inter Miami a 2-1 win over Mexican club Cruz Azul in the Leagues Cup opener.

He followed it with a two-goal performance in another Leagues Cup game against Atlanta a few days later.

In his first road game, a Leagues Cup elimination match against FC Dallas, Messi’s free kick again snuck past the goalkeeper into the upper corner of the net for a tying tally that led to a victory on penalty kicks.

“He’s at the stage of his career where he’s done everything that any soccer player can do in a sport as one of the greatest players, if not the greatest player to ever play the game,” Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham said last month. “So he’s still hungry. I’ve seen him on the training pitch. I know he’s still hungry.”

Following the path of some of the game’s biggest names who have come to the U.S. toward the end of their careers — Pelé, Franz Beckenbauer, Thierry Henry and Beckham himself — Messi has certainly vaulted American soccer onto a global stage.

He’s a four-time Champions League winner with 10 La Liga titles. His 129 goals in the top club competition are second to Cristiano Ronaldo’s 140.

More than 17 years in and just a few months removed from hoisting a World Cup, Messi appears to still be at the pinnacle of his soccer powers. But for him, this stage of his career isn’t about being the sport’s ambassador in the U.S. or even accumulating more individual accolades.

“I simply came here to play and keep enjoying football,” he said.

The World Cup-winning captain from Argentina, who has left Europe to play for Inter Miami, is up against Manchester City teammates Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland. Messi won the UEFA award twice in its 12-year history, both in years when Barcelona was European champion. Man City won the Champions League title last season.

Pep Guardiola is the favorite for the men’s coaching award after leading Man City to the Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup titles. Also nominated were Simone Inzaghi of Inter Milan, who led his team to the Champions League final, and Luciano Spalletti, who led Napoli to the Italian league title.

The winners will be announced at the Champions League draw on Aug. 31 in Monaco.

The shortlists for the women’s player and coaching awards will be announced next week after the Women’s World Cup, UEFA said. England will face Spain on Sunday in the final in Australia.

Kylian Mbappé, Messi’s former teammate at Paris Saint-Germain, was sixth in the player voting by Europe-based coaches and journalists despite his tournament-leading eight goals at last year’s World Cup, including three in the final against Argentina.

Ranked above Mbappé were Man City midfielders İlkay Gündoğan and Rodri, whose goal decided the Champions League final.

The only Inter player getting votes was Marcelo Brozović in eighth place. The Croatia midfielder has since moved to the Saudi league.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar, others who have moved to Saudi Arabia, got no votes from the UEFA panel, which included coaches from clubs that played in the group stages of the three European competitions.

Roberto De Zerbi was fourth in the coaching vote despite his Brighton team not playing in a European competition. Brighton will debut next month in the Europa League after finishing sixth in the Premier League.

Franck Haise, who led Lens to second place the French league, and David Moyes of Europa League Conference champion West Ham were among 10 coaches who got some votes.

Messi ripped a shot from 30 yards past three Philadelphia defenders in the 20th minute that made fans who paid a record price for soccer tickets in the Philly area rejoice, and Inter Miami beat the Union 4-1 in a Leagues Cup semifinal on Tuesday night.

Major League Soccer is Messi’s league now.

Messi exchanged jerseys with fellow Argentinian and Union forward Julián Carranza, then skipped out on the traditional postgame interview and instead saved his message for his 483 million Instagram followers.

“We worked our way to the finals and we made it!!! We’re still on the last step,” he wrote.

The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner scored his ninth goal in six matches with his new team in front of a crowd that pushed 20,000 fans, with ticket prices soaring past $1,000 on the secondary market.

There were few complaints.

Certainly not from three Union season-ticket holders who ditched the home team’s garb for a night and traded it for Messi gear. Or fans that lined up for Messi jerseys — authenticity not guaranteed — and the ones hungry at a food truck for Messi fries.

And certainly not from the Union, who, of course wanted to win, but otherwise stuffed the coffers and received more worldwide attention on one night than in any game they’ve played in their history.

Fans erupted when the 36-year-old Messi was introduced and went wild again when he scored past diving goalkeeper Andre Blake. Messi ran with his arms extended and then punched his fist in the air as he leapt in celebration.

The rest was almost incidental.

Jordi Alba and Josef Martinez also scored in the first half for Miami, and David Ruiz scored in the second. Miami will play in the Leagues Cup championship game Saturday against either Nashville or Mexican club Monterrey.

Alejandro Bedoya scored in the second half for Philadelphia.

“They’re only going to get better. That Miami team is gonna go,” Union coach Jim Curtain said. “Their ownership is going to spend like crazy. They’re going to make them the best team in the league. They might already be the best team in the league. That’s coming and I don’t think anything’s stopping them.”

Union principal owner Jay Sugarman told The Associated Press there was no real consideration given to moving the game from Subaru Park to Lincoln Financial Field, home of the Eagles. While the football stadium would have packed in another 40,000-plus fans, Sugarman said told him the game would stay put.

Philly native and Hall of Fame boxer Bernard Hopkins struck the 6-foot drum that welcomed the team to the field and Sixers center and NBA MVP Joel Embiid, who played soccer as a child in Cameroon, showed interest in the game.

“Make sure y’all show love to the (goat) in our city tonight but let’s first get this dub #DOOP #Philly,” he wrote on social media.

Inter Miami already played in Chester before Messi had signed, leaving Union officials to study the Leagues Cup field like an NCAA Tournament bracket once it was announced.

“You try not to, but of course we were like, if we do this, and they do this,” Sugarman said, laughing. “We hope we’re playing in front of a worldwide audience tonight. It’s a chance for the Philadelphia Union to put on the best show we can against one of the best teams and best players.”

The Union fell well short of that standard.

“I think there is a little bit of, we were too excited, maybe we showed a little too much respect,” Curtain said. “We got punished by a good team. We got humbled a bit.”

Led by the rabid supporters group called “Sons of Ben,” the Messi game sold out in less than 10 minutes and the price exploded this week on the secondary market. River End seats that normally go for $43 spiked to more than a grand, and the average price of $556 was the highest in Union history. An hour or so before the game, tickets in the lower level were still going for $450 and up.

“People love Messi,” Inter Miami defender Sergii Kryvtsov said.

All around the world and especially Tuesday outside the stadium, where it was Messi Mania for the superstar, who led Argentina to the World Cup title last year and has essentially become a one-man 1992 Dream Team.

Angel Pagan and her family, of Vineland, New Jersey, all wore Messi shirts — even though they are Union season-ticket holders. They love Messi so much, their youngest son is named Lionel in his honor. She upgraded her tickets for the game to sit closer to the field and said only they were “very, very expensive.”

“We didn’t care what it cost,” she said. “It’s Messi.”

Under Curtain, in his 10th season, the Union blossomed into one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference and clinched their first Supporters’ Shield trophy — awarded to the MLS team with the best regular-season record — in 2020. A season ago, the Union fell to LAFC in the MLS Cup. Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant thought enough of the Union’s potential to buy a stake in the team.

The Union’s path — and all other teams’ — to an MLS championship suddenly seems complicated by Messi’s arrival.

“This is a fantastic league with a growing fanbase, but you always need that match to really light it,” Sugarman said. “Messi is the match.”

Messi scored in the 86th minute, his eighth goal in five matches with his new club, and Inter Miami rolled past Charlotte 4-0 in a Leagues Cup quarterfinal game on Friday night.

Messi has scored in all five of his appearances with Miami. The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner who led Argentina to the World Cup crown last year has yet to lose a match with Miami, walking off winners in all five matchups so far in the Leagues Cup, a 47-team event composed of clubs from MLS and Mexico’s top league that now is whittled down to the final four.

Next up for Messi and his new club: A semifinal game on Tuesday against either Mexican club Queretaro or Philadelphia Union.

Charlotte almost found a way to keep him off the scoresheet. Almost.

Josef Martinez and Robert Thomas also had goals for Inter Miami, an own goal set up by some serious Messi pressure late in the second half resulted in another score, and then Messi provided the perfect clincher in the final moments.

The team appeared to have close to just about another sellout at 22,000-seat DRV PNK Stadium, even on a night where the South Florida sports landscape was loaded. The Miami Dolphins were playing their preseason opener at home, the Miami Marlins played host to the New York Yankees, and Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro was headlining a pro-am league championship game inside a packed high school gym.

But Messi-mania lived on, as would be expected. And the fans in those new pink No. 10 jerseys left happy once again, a far cry from what life was like for Inter Miami backers before the Messi era started.

Before Messi: Inter Miami had won five of its 22 MLS matches this season.

With Messi: Inter Miami has won all five of its Leagues Cup matches, and now is just two wins from a trophy.

Messi’s first good chance came 30 minutes into the match when some nifty short passes on the left side of the box led to him getting an opportunity from about 6 yards out. His shot was knocked away by Charlotte goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina, preserving what was then a 1-0 lead.

Little did anyone know Inter Miami already had all the offense it would need.

Another great opportunity came in the 69th minute, when Messi sent a pass to Taylor, then got it back and had open net — only to have his try from about 12 yards out in the middle of the box get deflected away.

All Messi could do was look skyward, giving a little smile.

Martinez opened the scoring for Inter Miami on a penalty kick in the 12th minute, one that came after Dixon Arroyo was taken down inside the box. That foul came shortly after Inter Miami unsuccessfully argued that Charlotte had committed a handball, which also would have led to the awarding of a penalty kick.

It went to 2-0 in the 32nd minute, when Taylor took a pass from DeAndre Yedlin near the top of the box and sent a one-timer off the hand of a sprawling Kahlina. Yedlin collected a pass on the right wing, waited for Taylor — who pointed to where he wanted the ball — and sent it to that precise spot to set up the second of the night.

The own goal made it 3-0, and then Messi finished off the win.

Inter Miami’s journey through the Leagues Cup quarterfinals, marked by a narrow win against Dallas, has fueled anticipation among both players and supporters. The upcoming match against Charlotte is anticipated to be a tough challenge, requiring a determined effort to secure a win.

“We have to come out and be ready,” said Inter Miami forward Robbie Robinson, emphasizing the team’s focus on high energy and offensive opportunities.

The spotlight on Inter Miami has intensified since Lionel Messi’s debut, which sparked a remarkable turnaround from a losing streak to a winning one. Messi’s presence has not only transformed the team but has left an impact on the entire Major League Soccer.

Reflecting on his role, forward Josef Martínez acknowledges Messi’s influence.

“My role is the same. We have to continue with the hard work and then hopefully we can achieve a positive outcome,” he said.

Confidence is building within the team, with players expressing unity and determination.

“The group is really coming together — training every day with these guys, learning,” said Robinson. “We feel confident going in, and we hope to come out with a victory.”

As Inter Miami seeks to extend its winning streak, the anticipation for the match against Charlotte grows, inching the team closer to the semifinals.

Miami’s Aug. 20 match against Charlotte FC would have been Messi’s first in MLS play, but it was postponed to an unspecified date after both clubs advanced to the Leagues Cup quarterfinals.

Inter Miami will face Charlotte in the quarterfinals Friday at DRV PNK Stadium. One of the two clubs will play in either the final or third place match on Aug. 19.

Messi’s first MLS match now is expected to be Saturday, Aug. 26, at the New York Red Bulls.

Messi will also compete in the US Open Cup on Aug. 23 when Miami visits MLS-leading FC Cincinnati for a semifinal match.

Messi scored on another free kick in last week’s round of 16 elimination game against Dallas. The tying goal led to a victory on penalty kicks and gave Messi his third consecutive two-goal game for Inter Miami.

The World Cup champion’s goal in the 85th minute was reminiscent of the game-winner in his Inter Miami debut. Both were on free kicks from just outside the penalty box in the waning moments, each sneaking past the goalkeeper into the upper corner of the net.

Messi has scored in all four matches for Inter Miami, with seven goals total. His new U.S. club is 4-0 — all in the Leagues Cup — after going winless in nine consecutive MLS matches before the 36-year-old arrived.

Messi, seven-time winner of the Ballon d’Or, the soccer world’s most prestigious individual award, signed with Miami last month after two years with Paris Saint-Germain. In a career spanning more than 17 years with Argentina’s national team, Messi has scored more than 100 goals.

He signed for 2 1/2 seasons worth between $50 million and $60 million annually, meaning a total contract value between $125 million and $150 million in cash alone.

They all got video of a repeat of history.

Messi scored on another mesmerizing free kick in his third consecutive two-goal game for Inter Miami, a tying tally that led to a victory over FC Dallas on penalty kicks in a Leagues Cup elimination game Sunday night.

Messi’s goal in the 85th minute for a 4-4 tie was reminiscent of the game-winner in his Inter Miami debut, both on free kicks from just outside the penalty box in the waning moments, both sneaking past the goalkeeper into the upper corner of the net.

This time, the left-footed superstar was to the right of the net, and beat FC Dallas’ Maarten Paes to the near post the same way he did from the left side in a 2-1 win over Mexican club Cruz Azul in his Inter Miami debut.

“I think it’s not much to say. I think everyone can see,” FC Dallas coach Nico Estévez said. “It’s obvious that for him a free kick around there is like a PK for another player. You have to pray that the ball goes out of bounds or he fell in the run to kick the ball.”

The victory in the round of 16 sent Inter Miami into the Leagues Cup quarterfinals against the winner Monday night between Charlotte FC and Houston.

The second of Messi’s three consecutive two-goal games came in the first Leagues Cup elimination game, a 3-1 Miami victory over Orlando City that was delayed by an hour and a half because of a torrential rainstorm in Florida.

The fifth match in Texas in Messi’s illustrious career had a kickoff temperature of 100 degrees (38 degrees celsius) on the 14th consecutive day of triple-digit heat in the Dallas area.

Because of the high temperatures, teams took a heat break near the halfway point of each half.

Messi’s first goal outside of Florida for his new U.S. club was another left-footed strike outside the penalty area in the sixth minute, on a pass from former FC Barcelona teammate Jordi Alba. It was initially disallowed on an offsides call that was overturned on review.

The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner and World Cup champion for Argentina has scored in all four matches for Inter Miami, with seven goals total. His new U.S. club is 4-0 — all in the Leagues Cup — after going winless in nine consecutive MLS matches before the 36-year-old arrived.

“We are very glad to be moving on and these types of games help us to continue to develop as a team and fix our mistakes,” Miami coach Gerardo Martino said through an interpreter. “We still have a long way to go to be at the level we want but in the end, I am glad that we obtained the victory.”

Messi had the first penalty kick with a slow-moving approach to his shot into the right corner. The difference was Paxton Pomykal missing over the crossbar on the second FC Dallas attempt.

Benjamin Cremaschi, who scored in the 65th minute, had the clincher as Miami finished with a 5-3 edge in the shootout.

FC Dallas had gone ahead 4-2 on Robert Taylor’s own goal in the 68th minute, but Dallas gave an own goal right back in the 80th minute. Marco Farfan put a header into his net on a cross from Messi on a free kick from outside the left corner of the penalty box.

Soon after, Taylor had a moment of redemption when he was fouled by Eugene Ansah, setting up Messi for a replay that sent the crowd of 19,096 into a frenzy.

Miami co-owner David Beckham saw the first one at home 17 days ago. He was here for this one, too, in a stadium where tickets that normally go for about $40 were selling for hundreds of dollars, and in some cases listed for more than $1,000.

Facundo Quignon and Bernard Kamungo scored in the first half for FC Dallas to erase the 1-0 deficit from Messi’s early goal.

Alan Velasco, a native of Argentina who grew up idolizing Messi, made it 3-1 with a bouncing free kick that eluded several defenders and keeper Drake Callender in the 63rd minute.

“I accomplished one of my biggest dreams today,” the 20-year-old Velasco said. “It was such a surreal experience that after many years of watching him play, I finally got to share the field with him.”

Two minutes after Velasco scored, Cremaschi pulled Inter Miami within a goal to set up the wild finish. Messi had a hand in Cremaschi’s goal, sending a pass that Alba kept from going over the end line before passing to Cremaschi.

“To have players like him here will make our players better,” Estévez said of Messi. “When you have to face this kind of level, you have to do better. And you can see FC Dallas today, how some of our players raised their level.”

The Leagues Cup Round of 32 match was delayed 95 minutes because of thunderstorms.

Messi scored seven minutes into the match then added a second strike in the 72nd minute. The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner has five goals in three games since his highly-anticipated MLS debut July 21.

As he eluded the Orlando City backline, Messi stopped a pass from Robert Taylor on his chest, dribbled a couple of yards near the edge of the 6-yard box and converted a shot that landed under the crossbar.

The goal gave Inter Miami a 1-0 lead before Orlando tied it 11 minutes later.

Messi struck again when he received a centering pass from Josef Martinez and flicked a right-footed shot inside the left post and put Inter Miami ahead 3-1.

Inter Miami also had a scare early in the second half when Orlando’s Mauricio Pereyra collided with Messi. Messi remained on the ground, favoring his jaw for a couple of minutes.

Messi received his first yellow card with Inter Miami after he was cited for a hard foul in the 21st minute.

Messi’s former Barcelona teammate Jordi Alba made his Inter Miami debut when he entered the match in the 64th minute.

The game was scheduled to start at 8 p.m., but didn’t begin on time because of the storms.

Messi and his Inter Miami teammates appeared on the DRV PNK Stadium field for warm-ups 45 minutes before the scheduled start. The heavy rains began approximately 20 minutes later.

After stadium crew drained water puddles around mid-field, Messi and his teammates re-appeared for a second round of pre-game warm-ups.

Messi has not dealt with inclement weather in his first two Leagues Cup matches since joining the MLS club. He scored the game-winning goal against Cruz Azul and added two goals in a victory over Atlanta United.