MLS
Messi’s move to Inter Miami sends ticket prices soaring 1,034%
Lionel Messi’s announcement that he plans to take his talents to South Beach sent prices for Inter Miami tickets on the secondary market into the stratosphere on Wednesday as fans clamoured for a chance to see the Argentine great play on U.S. soil.
Ticket prices surged following reports early on Wednesday that he planned to join the Major League Soccer side, which he later confirmed.
Messi’s first game with the team could be on July 21 when Inter Miami host Cruz Azul in their Leagues Cup opener in Fort Lauderdale.
The lowest price for a ticket for that game on Tuesday was a mere $29 but on Wednesday the price rocketed to $329 – a 1,034% jump – according to TickPick.
Messi’s first game in a Miami jersey will likely be the most expensive MLS game on record, Kyle Zorn, brand manager at TickPick, told Reuters.
“We saw an almost instantaneous jump in Inter Miami ticket prices when the word got out that Messi was leaning towards joining the club,” Zorn said.
“Given his status as arguably the greatest player in the world, every time Inter Miami plays on the road, we’re going to see record breaking ticket prices.”
Inter Miami’s road games that saw the biggest jump in prices included the team’s visit to the New York Red Bulls on Aug. 26 (1,236% increase) and their trip to Southern California to face LAFC on Sept. 3 (420% increase), the ticket retailer said.
-Reuters
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MLS
Luis Suarez Ready To Hang Boots –
![Luis Suarez Ready To Hang Boots -](https://sportsvillagesquare.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Luis-Suarez-Ready-To-Hang-Boots.jpg)
Inter Miami will be the last club Luis Suarez plays for, the Uruguay striker said on Thursday.
Suarez, 37, signed a contract with the Major League Soccer side last year for the 2024 season after a stint with Brazilian club Gremio.
He reunited with former Barcelona team mates Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, with whom he won four LaLiga titles in five years in Spain.
“Inter Miami will be my last club, my family already know that. I don’t have a date yet, but it’s the last step,” Suarez said in an interview with Uruguayan radio station Del Sol.
“I’m ready for this last challenge, but there is an inevitable fatigue and, in the end, I want to have quality of life in the future,” he added.
Suarez, who also played for clubs including Ajax Amsterdam, Liverpool and Atletico Madrid, has won 138 caps for Uruguay since 2007.
Inter Miami kick off their MLS campaign against Real Salt Lake on Feb. 21.
-Reuters
MLS
Messi-less Miami lose U.S. Open Cup final to Houston
The Houston Dynamo defeated Inter Miami 2-1 to win the U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday with an injured Lionel Messi watching from the stands at DRV PNK Stadium.
Without Messi and his former Barcelona team-mate Jordi Alba, Miami struggled to compete with an enterprising Houston and went in 2-0 down at the break.
Houston grabbed the lead in the 24th minute with a perfect counter-attack ending with Brazilian Artur feeding the overlapping Griffin Dorsey who blasted in at the near post.
French forward Amine Bassi doubled the lead from the penalty spot nine minutes later after DeAndre Yedlin had brought down Nelson Quinones.
Houston thought that they had scored a third after the break but Quinones’ effort was ruled out for offside after a VAR review.
Substitute Josef Martinez gave Miami some late hope with a left-foot strike in stoppage time after latching on to a ball from Argentine Facundo Farias.
But despite some late pressure, it was too little, too late from Miami and Houston deservedly won their second U.S. Open Cup to add to their triumph in 2018.
Miami had won the Leagues Cup last month with Messi prominently involved but they must now battle to make the Major League Soccer play-offs with uncertainty over their Argentine star’s fitness.
-AFP
MLS
Inter Miami to wait until ‘last moment’ to decide on Messi fitness for Cup final
Inter Miami will wait until the “last moment” to see if Lionel Messi is fit to play in Wednesday’s U.S. Open Cup final against Houston Dynamo, coach Gerardo Martino said.
Messi was substituted in Inter’s league match against Toronto FC before halftime with an unspecified injury, and missed Sunday’s clash against rivals Orlando City.
The Argentina captain is a doubt for the U.S. Open Cup final when his team will aim to claim their second title after winning the Leagues Cup last month.
“We are going to wait for Leo until tomorrow, until the last moment,” Martino told a news conference on Tuesday. “I’m going to sit down with him, see what his feelings are (…) We’ll probably come to an agreement tomorrow.
“There are three issues here: there is the player, then the final, and then what comes next. We have to try to make the decision, there are always risks, but we have to reduce them.”
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner has scored 11 goals and provided five assists in 12 games for Inter Miami since his arrival from Paris St Germain in July.
The Miami side are yet to lose with Messi on the pitch and Martino said he would not consider playing the 36-year-old if it were not a cup final.
“It’s 90 or 120 minutes that stand between you and a title,” said the Argentine boss. “It’s logical. If it was any other kind of game we wouldn’t take any risks.”
-Reuters
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