After setting a new Major League Soccer record with five consecutive matches scoring multiple goals, Lionel Messi heads to TQL Stadium this Wednesday. The Argentine star will once again lead Inter Miami, this time facing FC Cincinnati in Week 25 of the regular season.
Against the team known as the Orange and Blue, Messi will look to keep his streak of braces alive. But there’s another twist – with just one goal, he would add the Ohio-based franchise to the growing list of MLS teams he’s scored against. Since arriving in North American soccer, the legendary No. 10 has yet to find the net against Cincy, giving this matchup a personal edge.
The World Cup winner has faced FC Cincinnati twice before. The first came in the semifinals of the 2023 US Open Cup, when Inter Miami traveled to TQL Stadium for a dramatic clash that ended 3-3 after 120 minutes and was decided by penalties. Messi provided two assists for Leonardo Campana and converted the first shot in the shootout, which Miami won 5-4.
Their second meeting was in MLS play later that year, in October 2023. Inter Miami hosted the Orange and Blue at Chase Stadium but lost 1-0. Messi began that game on the bench and played the final 35 minutes.
Messi hasn’t faced Cincinnati in 2024
Inter Miami and FC Cincinnati have already met twice in MLS this season, but the captain of The Herons missed both encounters. The first absence was due to his participation in the Copa América, and the second came after he suffered ankle ligament damage in the final against Colombia.
Miami took a heavy blow in their away fixture at TQL Stadium, losing 6-1. However, they bounced back with a solid 2-0 win at Chase Stadium. Wednesday’s game promises to be a high-stakes showdown, as both clubs fight to stay near the top of the Eastern Conference standings.