Lionel Messi: Leo Messi’s decision to move to the United States received more raised eyebrows than praises. However, American fans loved it and they are showing it. They flooded to buy tickets for the player’s unveiling and following matches. The World Cup winner is next set to appear in the FC Dallas vs Inter Miami game in the Leagues Cup round of 16 stage. This will be Messi’s first away match for Inter Miami and all tickets have been sold out within 10 minutes.
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So far, Lionel Messi has appeared in three matches for Inter Miami. All of them were Leagues Cup games where the first two were group stage matches, while the last was a knockout stage match. The Leagues Cup is a yearly tournament that is held between teams from American Major League Soccer and Mexican Liga MX. All three matches were held at Inter Miami’s home, the DRV PNK Stadium. As they have progressed into the round of 16 stage, their next match is against FC Dallas.
This is an away game that is set to be held at FC Dallas’ home, the Toyota Stadium. Hence, this will be Messi’s first away match as an Inter Miami player. There was a huge demand for match tickets for the home matches and even for his unveiling ceremony. The same has been the case in Messi’s first away match for Miami. It took only 10 minutes for all the Leagues Cup round of 16 FC Dallas vs Inter Miami match tickets to entirely sell out.
The feat seems bigger when the ticket prices are taken into account. The cheapest ticket available for the match was priced at $299. The official resale tickets have been priced at over $600. It still seems 20,000 seats at the Toyota Stadium will be filled on August 5. Messi’s arrival in the country which has a somewhat diminished look for football, has hailed Messi since he arrived. He has made headlines in the country and outside from the moment of his association with Inter Miami.
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Before Lionel Messi made his debut for Inter Miami on August 21, the team was on a roll of defeats. They lost 10 out of 13 games before Messi joined. It led to the sacking of Phil Neville as their coach. Messi announced he would join in June and before his arrival in the States, new coach Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino took over the reins. Miami also secured the signatures of world-class players and Messi’s former Barcelona teammates Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.
Messi scored a sensational free-kick in the dying moments of his debut match which won Inter Miami their first Leagues Cup match against Cruz Azul. Following the dramatic debut, Messi has gone on to score two braces in the next two matches against Atlanta United and Orlando City. Miami also won both matches and qualified for the tournament’s round of 16 stage. If Messi, Busquets, and Alba keep helping Miami win the following few matches, they could win a trophy in less than a month of their debut for the club.
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