Columbus Crew vs. Lionel Messi, Inter Miami

The powerful Lionel Messi returned, after a two-month absence due to an ankle injury, to the Inter Miami team in mid-September. He remained filled with magic. In the first return match, he recorded two goals and an assist in a 3–1 victory over Philadelphia in Fort Lauderdale. Since then, the Herons (or, if you prefer, the Flamingos) have posted three draws in a row.

Messi joined MLS in the summer of 2023 like the Beatles arrived in New York in the winter of 1964. He will make a late debut appearance against the Crew on Wednesday night at the Crew’s new stadium. Has a more famous professional athlete in a team sport ever played a significant game in our city?

With a win, Inter Miami can be assured of having home-field advantage throughout the MLS playoffs. The Crew remains alive – barely, but there is a heartbeat – in the race for the Supporters’ Shield, awarded to the MLS team with the best regular season record. Is there a more important regular season game on the MLS schedule this year?

The Crew are the reigning MLS Cup and Leagues Cup champions, and they boast Cucho Hernandez, who has 16 goals and 29 goal contributions in 24 league games. The Herons won the 2023 Leagues Cup, are a virtual lock for this year’s Shield and they have Messi, who has 15 goals and 30 goal contributions in 16 league matches. It’s rumble time.

The supporting cast is exceptional – from Columbus’ Diego Rossi, Christian Ramirez and Darlington Nagbe to Barcelona’s Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba (John, George and Ringo). The Crew and Miami are arguably the two best teams in the league: in all competitions this season, the Crew is 23-6-13 with a plus-37 goal differential and the Herons are 22 -8-9 with a differential of plus-37. 25.

The 3D chess match between the coaches – Wilfried Nancy from the Crew and Tata Martino from Miami – will provide a fascinating spectacle. Their last meeting dates back to the round of 16 of the League Cup in August. In the new Crew Stadium, the Crew came back from two goals down in the second half and beat Miami 3-2. *Messi did not play.

“It was probably the best Leagues Cup game of the tournament,” said Neil Sika, the play-by-play announcer for Apple TV based in Columbus. Sika managed the Crew’s 2-2 draw at DC United on Saturday.

Supporters’ Shield standings: Inter Miami has 65 points with three games remaining; the LA Galaxy has 58 points with three games remaining; the Crew has 57 points with four games remaining, including the head-to-head with Miami.

With a game in hand, the Crew has a chance to catch Miami, but the Crew will likely have to win while the Herons drop points. It’s not likely. Miami’s last two matches, at Toronto on Saturday and at home against the New England Revolution on October 19, on Decision Day, are completely winnable. If Inter Miami wins, they will finish with 74 points and surpass New England’s single-season points record (73 in 2021).

As Hunter S. Thompson said, “You buy the ticket, you take the ride. » The Crew worked hard after the CONCACAF Champions Cup, but suffered food poisoning on the eve of the final in Pachuca in May. The Crew worked hard after the League Cup, reached the final and beat LAFC in August. As MLS Cup champions, the Crew represented the league in the Campeones Cup and lost on penalties to Club America last week.

These competitions have expanded their schedule and reduced their late summer and early fall schedule. At this point, the Crew have played 43 matches in all competitions over 7 and a half months. They bought the ticket and are making the trip. On Saturday night, Nancy put her “A” team on the field in Washington DC in an attempt to cut into Miami’s lead in the Shield race. Despite a number of quality scoring chances and another brilliant performance from Hernandez, the Crew surrendered a late equalizer and had to settle for a point.

“There are little elements of fatigue that can show up,” said Sika, a former longtime Crew broadcaster. “But I like the way (the Crew) goes about it. I love their attitude. This is something we haven’t seen in 25 years.

On Saturday night’s show, Sika described Hernandez as courageous like Brian McBride, with the passing of Federico Higuain and Guillermo Barros Schelotto and the goal of Stern John. (“I probably could have added Lucas Zelarayan’s ruthlessness,” he said.) It’s Cucho and the Crew against Messiami in the GOAT’s first ever match in Columbus. Two great teams in a meaningful match that will make some sort of history on the shores of mighty Olentangy.

To Messi we say thank you for coming. Next year, it’s likely the Crew-Inter Miami game will be moved from Columbus to Cleveland. Appreciate.

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