Inter Miami: Lionel Messi kicked off the Major League Soccer preseason with Inter Miami CF, who played to a scoreless draw with the El Salvador national team on Friday night. Messi was awarded FIFA’s best men’s player four days earlier.

The Argentine ace and Luis Suarez, a striker from Uruguay who will be his new colleague in the MLS, played together in the first half. After spending six seasons together at Barcelona, Suarez and Messi were reunited in Miami.

A few hours prior to kickoff, the Cuscatlán stadium was crowded with spectators. Nayib Bukele, the president of El Salvador, seized the chance to meet Messi and invited the team to the Presidential House prior to the match.

Messi had two opportunities to score and set up Jordi Alba for one in the 39th minute, but Mario González, the goalie, deflected the effort.

 

Second half inter miami schedule

In the second half, Messi, Suárez, Jordi Alba, and Sergio Busquets were rested by Inter Miami coach Gerardo Martino. Although the team maintained possession, El Salvador’s greatest opportunity to score came in the 83rd minute when Steven Vázquez’s shot struck the crossbar.

After moving to Miami in July of last year, Messi, 36, scored 10 goals in seven matches. On August 19, he helped the team win its first-ever title by leading it to the Leagues Cup final.

Next Monday, Inter Miami will play FC Dallas at the Cotton Bowl. On January 29 and February 2, the team will fly to Saudi Arabia to play Al Hilal and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr, respectively.

Inter Miami Standings

Preseason action for Messi and Inter Miami gets underway at El Salvador’s packed Cuscatlán Stadium.

Friday night in San Salvador, as Inter Miami CF opened its 2024 preseason against El Salvador’s national team, the sights and noises told the tale.

The match and the fact that Lionel Messi—who is regarded by many as the greatest player in sports history—would play had generated extraordinary excitement for weeks.

Each Miami player was greeted by thousands of enthusiastic locals, many of whom were sporting Messi shirts, as they took the field at Cuscatlán Stadium, which was packed.

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When the first kickoff of the pre-game ceremony was performed by El Salvador’s own iconic Jorge Alberto “El Mágico” González, it was undoubtedly one of the highlights of the evening for soccer fans worldwide.

There were thunderous applause for El Mágico, who Argentine soccer icon Diego Armando Maradona described as “bigger than Pelé and myself,” and as one of the best players he had ever seen. Messi was the one who noticed Mágico and approached him to meet him.

Before, as players got off of new buses that were liveried in Inter Miami colors and transported the team from the airport to their hotel, hundreds of supporters greeted Inter Miami at their hotel.

 Pre-season schedule: Inter Miami

FC Dallas vs. Inter Miami at Cotton Bowl Stadium on January 22 (6 p.m. ET) (Dallas, Texas)

Jan. 29 at 1 PM ET at SFC Kingdom Arena (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia): Inter Miami vs. Al Hilal

Feb. 1 at 1 PM ET at Al Nassr FC Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Inter Miami vs.

February 4 (time TBD) Hong Kong Team vs. IM at Hong Kong Stadium (Hong Kong)

Vissel Kobe vs. Inter Miami on February 7 (time TBA) at Japan National Stadium (Tokyo, Japan)

IM vs. Newell’s Old Boys, DRV PNK Stadium (Fort Lauderdale), Feb. 15 (time TBD)

El Salvador

For the Miami side, El Salvador essentially pulled out the red carpet. When the players landed, they were greeted with a red carpet that is often reserved for notable dignitaries or heads of state.

Along with former Barcelona colleagues Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba, Messi played the entire forty-five minutes of the match.

Messi, Suarez, Busquets, and Alba were replaced at the beginning of the second half by IM head coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino with Facundo Farías, Leonardo Campana, Chris McVey, and David Ruiz.

There would be no scores in the game’s outcome.

Up to 53,400 spectators can fit at Cuzclatán Stadium, and they were treated to an exciting game with plenty of goal opportunities for both teams.

Tickets Inter Miami

The long-anticipated match’s ticket prices varied from $200 to $475, however they most likely cost much more when purchased through independent sellers.

CF has six more preseason games planned in total. On February 1st in Saudi Arabia, Messi is slated to square off against Portuguese player Cristiano Ronaldo (CR7), his longstanding nemesis in the Spanish League.

It will also host Argentina’s Newell’s Old Boys on February 15. Messi was in the club youth ranks in Rosario before he joined Barcelona. Messi has stated over the years that his boyhood club holds a special place in his heart.