How Lionel Messi, Inter Miami could play in Frisco next month vs. FC Dallas in Leagues Cup
North Texas soccer fans hoping to see Lionel Messi in person might be able to hold off on booking flights to South Beach.
As Leagues Cup play advances into its knockout stage, a path could be opening up for Messi to play at FC Dallas’ home turf (or natural grass?). With dominant midweek victories, both FCD and Inter Miami punched their tickets to the new tournament’s Round of 32.
What needs to happen for these clubs to face off? Let’s take a look:
FCD finished its opening matches as the second-place team in Group South 4, collecting four points with one win and a draw. With Charlotte’s Saturday night victory over Necaxa, FCD will start its knockout stage push against Liga MX side Mazatlán.
In this scenario, a possible FCD-Inter Miami meeting would take place in the Round of 16. FCD would have to win its game against Mazatlán, while Miami would have to get past Houston.
If this occurs, expect to see Messi and Co. make their way to Toyota Stadium between Aug. 6-8.
Messi has acclimated smoothly to his surroundings in the United States-based soccer league, scoring three goals with one assist in matches against Cruz Azul and Atlanta United. The Argentine superstar announced that he would join David Beckham’s squad in early June after spending two years with Paris Saint-Germain.
Messi’s move to MLS was made official July 15. His deal will be for 2 1/2 seasons and will pay him between $50 million and $60 million annually — putting the total contract value between $125 million and $150 million in cash alone.
FCD looked dominant in its last Leagues Cup match against Necaxa, claiming a 3-0 win with goals from Sebastian Lletget, Eugene Ansah and Jesus Ferreira. Before that, FCD fell 4-1 in a penalty shootout against Charlotte after tying 2-2 in regulation.
The Leagues Cup tournament got its start this summer, pitting 47 teams from MLS and Liga MX in a World Cup-style setup. The tournament’s top three finishers will book a spot in the Concacaf Champions Cup where they’ll fight for a spot in the FIFA Club World Cup.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
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