Messi Mania is hitting the road.
Lionel Messi will play his first road game for Inter Miami CF on Sunday night against FC Dallas in a Round of 16 match during the Leagues Cup.
If his first three games were any indication, the fans in Dallas and tuning in across the world could be in for a treat.
Messi has scored five goals, and assisted another in his first three games with Inter Miami — all victories for his side.
How to watch Lionel Messi vs. FC Dallas in Leagues Cup
The Inter Miami-FC Dallas game can be streamed live on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
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Halftime: FC Dallas 2, Inter Miami 1
Two goals in the span of eight minutes, and Inter Miami is facing its first deficit in the Messi era.
Bernard Kamungo snuck a goal right by Inter Miami’s defender and a goalie near the right side of the next in the 45th minute, and FC Dallas has taken a 2-1 lead.
Inter Miami had been tied against opponents, but never trailed against an opponent with Messi in the lineup.
Now, the adversity builds for Messi in his first road game with Inter Miami.
Facundo Quignon Goal: FC Dallas 1, Inter Miami 1
We’ve got a tied game in Dallas.
Facundo Quignon found the back of the net following an assist from Marco Farfan in the 37th minute, and it’s tied 1-1.
This isn’t unfamiliar territory for Inter Miami in the Messi era.
Inter Miami was tied 1-1 with Orlando City before halftime, and finished with a 3-1 win.
Lionel Messi goal: Inter Miami 1, FC Dallas 0
Messi continues to score as fast as he can, and he’s up to six goals with Inter Miami.
Messi’s left boot connected for a goal in the sixth minute, to give Inter Miami a 1-0 lead over FC Dallas.
Messi has scored goals in the eighth minute during his first start, seventh in his second start, and now in the sixth minute of his third start for Inter Miami.
The goal was made official later after a review.
Messi’s goal was initially disallowed, but reviewed by the referees. Inter Miami’s Josef Martinez was offsides, but he stayed out of the goalie’s line of vision and did not make a play on the ball as Messi skated the goal right by him.
Hottest game of Leo Messi’s career?
Messi’s first road game will touch triple digits in temperature. The temperature was at least 100 degrees Fahrenheit on the pitch, according to the Apple TV’s Katie Withman.
Withman reported teams will have hydration breaks during the game, which also has a later start time (8:30 p.m. CT) to cope with the conditions.
According to MLS, cooling and drinks breaks will be held approximately 30 minutes into each half (around the 30th and 75th minute, respectively). The ball must be out of play for either the cooling or drinks break to commence.
Check out Leo Messi during warmups
Messi’s arrival to American soccer has been met with quite the fanfare.
And his entrance onto the pitch before tonight’s game was exciting for fans in attendance.
Messi, Busquets, Alba make first Inter Miami start together
Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba – the former FC Barcelona teammates who have joined Inter Miami – will make their first starts together with their new team.
Messi and Busquets are three games into their Inter Miami careers, while Alba made his debut off the bench in Inter Miami’s last game against Orlando City.
Here are the starting lineups for both teams:
Sweet treat could get … Messi
FC Dallas is premiering a new food item that could get … Messi.
The XL Ice Cream Sandwich features 18 ounces of vanilla ice cream and a cookie sandwich made up of 12 chocolate chip cookies, according to this tweet by Darren Rovell.
This lives up to the “Everything is Bigger in Texas” mantra, for sure.
Lionel Messi highlights with Inter Miami
Messi has two braces, or two goals scored in each of his last two games. His first goal in each game occurred before the 10-minute mark.
So, Inter Miami has gotten off to fast starts in games Messi has started.
Messi also hit the game-winning goal in his Inter Miami debut in extra time.
Messi’s last game, against Orlando City, was the first complete game he played for Inter Miami. He came off the bench in his debut, and lasted until the 78th minute in his second game.
When will Lionel Messi play next?
The winner of the Inter Miami-FC Dallas game will face the Houston Dynamo FC-Charlotte FC winner in the quarterfinals on Aug. 11-12.
If Inter Miami is bounced from the Leagues Cup, it will have an extended break until the MLS regular season resumes on Aug. 20.
What is the Leagues Cup?
It’s a 47-team tournament that has pit Major League Soccer teams against teams in Mexico’s Liga MX.
The quarterfinals begin Aug. 11-12.
The semifinals will be on Aug. 16.
The final and third-place game will be held on Aug. 19.
How has Lionel Messi fared in his Inter Miami stint so far?
Lionel Messi, widely considered the greatest player in the sport, punctuated his first Inter Miami game with a game-winning goal in extra time during the 94th minute on a free kick about 25 yards out. The goal helped Inter Miami beat LIGA MX team Cruz Azul 2-1 on July 21.
Here is Messi’s first Inter Miami highlight:
In Messi’s second game, he scored two goals within the first 22 minutes of the match. He also delivered a second-half assist, leading Inter Miami to a 4-0 victory against Atlanta United on July 25.
Messi’s first goal against Atlanta was in the first nine minutes:
And here’s the highlight of Messi’s second goal against Atlanta, and his third overall so far:
Messi scored twice in his third Inter Miami game, a 3-1 win over Orlando City SC in the first knockout round of the Leagues Cup.
The first came after teammate Robert Taylor delivered a dime to Messi, who banged in the game’s first goal.
On the game-clinching goal, Taylor found Josef Martinez, who unselfishly passed a short kick to Messi, who finished the slick sequence.
What is Inter Miami’s remaining 2023 schedule?
- Aug. 6: vs. FC Dallas (Leagues Cup), 9:30 p.m. ET
- Aug. 20: vs. Charlotte FC, 7:30 p.m. ET
- Aug. 23: at FC Cincinnati (U.S. Open Cup), 7 p.m. ET
- Aug. 26: at New York Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m. ET
- Aug. 30: vs. Nashville SC, 7:30 p.m. ET
- Sept. 3: at Los Angeles FC, 10:30 p.m. ET
- Sept. 9: vs. Sporting Kansas City, 7:30 p.m. ET
- Sept. 16: at Atlanta United, 7:30 p.m. ET
- Sept. 20: vs. Toronto FC, 7:30 p.m. ET
- Sept. 24: at Orlando City SC, 7:30 p.m. ET
- Sept. 30: vs. New York City Fc, 7:30 p.m.
- Oct. 4: at Chicago Fire FC, 8:30 p.m. ET
- Oct. 7: vs. FC Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m. ET
- Oct. 21: at Charlotte FC, 6 p.m. ET
Where can I watch Lionel Messi with Inter Miami?
With the exception of the U.S. Open Cup semifinal game on Aug. 23 (which will be available to stream on the CBS Sports Golazo Network), all other Inter Miami games are available to watch on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
