Lionel Messi may not have ever played in colder conditions, but the Inter Miami star shook it off, scoring the game’s only goal in a 1-0, first-leg win against Sporting Kansas City in Concacaf Champions Cup play Wednesday night.
The game was postponed from Tuesday to Wednesday to avoid several inches of snow, but the bitter cold in Kansas City, Kansas, saw kickoff temperatures of 4 degrees, with a feels-like estimate around minus-9.
Despite the frigid conditions sparking reports that Messi might sit the match out, the Argentine played the full 90 minutes, delivering the goods in the form of a second-half finish to give the Herons a clear edge heading into next Tuesday’s second leg.
This first-leg scoreline sets Miami up to advance to the round of 16, where Jamaican league champions Cavalier FC await. A win or draw by any score next week will do the job, while Kansas City would only advance with a multi-goal win, or by scoring two or more goals in a one-goal victory at Chase Stadium.
Here’s a look back at how Inter Miami vs. Sporting Kansas City played out, including highlights of Messi’s first official goal of the 2025 season:
Inter Miami vs. Sporting Kansas City highlights: Messi scores game-winning goal
Inter Miami vs. Sporting Kansas City: Post-game quotes
Speaking to reporters after the match, Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano called Lionel Messi’s game-winning goal ‘normal.’
‘For people who know him, it’s normal, he’s scored goals like this a thousand times,’ said Mascherano. ‘We’re very lucky to have him.’
There was little disagreement from his opposite number, with Sporting Kansas City boss Peter Vermes seemingly resigned to Messi’s inevitability. ‘There’s one guy who can turn the game over, and he did,’ explained the veteran coach.
On the bone-chilling temperatures, Mascherano said he’d never dealt with anything like it.
‘I’ve never experienced such a cold situation, we couldn’t feel our limbs,’ said the 40-year-old. ‘The same thing happened to the players, after five minutes you couldn’t feel your feet or hands.’
Inter Miami 1, Sporting Kansas City 0: Final score
Inter Miami has gotten off to the start they had hoped for, defeating Sporting Kansas City 1-0 in brutally cold conditions at Children’s Mercy Park. Lionel Messi scored the game’s only goal, offering his typically nimble footwork to secure the win with a second-half finish.
These sides will meet again next Tuesday in far superior weather, with Miami hosting the second leg. A 1-0 lead looks pretty promising, especially given that Concacaf still uses the away-goals tiebreaker in club competition. A win or tie will send Miami through.
Inter Miami makes final sub, Messi swaps out hand warmers
Luis Suárez is replaced by winger Robert Taylor in the 90th minute as Inter Miami looks to put this game to bed. Like Picault, Taylor brings more speed, which might benefit Miami if Sporting Kansas City takes too many risks pursuing an equalizer.
Lionel Messi has come to the bench as well, but it looks like he’s asking for hand warmers to put inside his gloves.
Sporting Kansas City makes last of five substitutions
Stephen Afrifa has entered the match for Sporting KC, replacing Dániel Sallói in the 83rd minute.
That leaves the hosts with no more substitutions available. Inter Miami, for its part, can make three more subs, but has only one remaining window to do so.
Inter Miami narrowly escapes big Sporting KC chance
The sequence ended up being offside, but Sporting Kansas City served a reminder that Inter Miami doesn’t have this game won. Dániel Sallói got free on the left flank, picking out Erik Thommy only for his shot to be kicked away by Oscar Ustari. A goal wouldn’t have counted had that shot sneaked by, but Miami should be alarmed by how easily they were carved open.
Meanwhile, two noteworthy developments for Miami: Telasco Segovia has made way for Benjamin Cremaschi in the 79th minute, while Federico Redondo picked up a yellow card seconds later, with a high foot drawing attention from referee Marco Ortíz.
Inter Miami makes first substitution
Miami is going to its bench as well, but will only bring in one new face. Veteran attacker Fafà Picault has come on in the 73rd minute, replacing Tadeo Allende.
Meanwhile, Manu García’s first real contribution is a late tackle that gets him the first yellow card we’ve seen in this game.
Sporting KC goes to the bench with triple sub
Peter Vermes wasted no time at all responding to Inter Miami taking a 1-0 lead. The Sporting Kansas City coach has made a triple sub in the 62nd minute.
Out: Memo Rodríguez, Dejan Joveljic, Tim Leibold
In: Manu García, William Agada, Logan Ndenbe
García is the man to watch, as the playmaker arrived just a week ago following three years at Aris Thessaloniki in Greece. KC has big hopes that he can boost the side after a disappointing 2024 season.
Messi goal! Inter Miami takes 1-0 lead vs. Sporting Kansas City
Can he do it on a cold night in Kansas City? He sure can. Lionel Messi has scored the opener, steering home a 16-yard shot in the 56th minute to put Inter Miami ahead 1-0.
Sergio Busquets had the assist, lobbing a ball into the box towards Messi, but the Miami captain still had plenty to do. Messi calmly brought the ball down, surrounded by KC defenders — yet he danced out of trouble before steering a pinpoint shot into the bottom corner. John Pulskamp saw it late, and just like that the Herons have the lead.
Inter Miami vs. Sporting Kansas City: Second half begins
We’re back underway in the frozen tundra that is Children’s Mercy Park, with Inter Miami and Sporting Kansas City battling for a first-leg advantage in the Concacaf Champions Cup.
Miami has returned to the field with the same lineup they fielded at the start, while KC has made one change: center back Dany Rosero has left the match during the break, with Joaquín Fernández replacing him. That’s a like-for-like change, but Sporting has made a seemingly unrelated tactical tweak: forward Dániel Sallói has moved out to the left, dropping deeper in what is now a 4-1-4-1 formation.
Inter Miami vs. Sporting Kansas City: Few highlights as halftime arrives
Inter Miami and Sporting Kansas City have reached halftime, with the score 0-0. Temperatures are approaching zero at Children’s Mercy Park, which is coincidentally the number of truly dangerous chances in the game thus far.
Luis Suárez’s 20-yard curler that flew wide was probably Miami’s best chance, while Kansas City has the game’s only shot on goal (which resulted in a very easy save for Oscar Ustari). KC has taken a damage limitation posture, while Miami has looked a little disorganized and predictable at times.
In lieu of actual highlights, the below photo sums up the first half:
Messi’s first shot goes high
Perhaps losing a bit of patience, a relatively rare touch for Messi found him in some space roughly 30 yards from goal. It’s the first time all game Inter Miami has really generated that combination, but Messi opted to fire one up from long range rather than his normal preference to combine and move closer to goal.
The result? A long-range shot that flew yards over the crossbar and into the stands.
Inter Miami dominating possession in game of few chances
We’re in the 29th minute, and it’s safe to say that Sporting Kansas City has chosen defensive solidity over tactical aggression. Inter Miami currently holds around two-thirds of the possession, but KC is resolutely dropping off into a 4-4-2 formation without the ball, only really confronting Miami once play passes midfield.
Miami appears plenty comfortable with keeping the ball this much, and Messi has faced this approach literally hundreds of times, but thus far it’s preventing any interesting action in front of either goal.
Inter Miami survives dangerous Sporting KC free kick
Erik Thommy just won Sporting a free kick in a good spot as the hosts have made their first concerted push forward.
The German midfielder was tripped up by Tomás Avilés, but ultimately Memo Rodríguez’s free kick was catching practice for Inter Miami goalkeeper Oscar Ustari.
Messi hits the deck after hard tackle
Inter Miami is getting a rude welcome from Sporting Kansas City, with Messi the first recipient of a robust tackle. Barely two minutes into the game, center back Robert Voloder came in late as Messi dished the ball at midfield, slamming into the Argentine and being called for a foul.
Sporting has always been willing to get physical under head coach Peter Vermes, the longest-tenured coach in MLS, and that extends to Messi.
Inter Miami vs. Sporting KC has kicked off
The teams are on the field, with Inter Miami and Sporting Kansas City underway from a frigid Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas. Every starter on both teams is wearing gloves, long sleeves, and many have gone with neck gaiters and compression leggings, too.
For his part, Lionel Messi has gone with every garment he’s allowed to wear, which is veteran know-how if nothing else.
Inter Miami vs. Sporting KC start time
Inter Miami will face Sporting Kansas City Wednesday night in Concacaf Champions Cup play, with kickoff scheduled for 8 p.m. ET (7 p.m. local).
With teams warming up ahead of the game’s start, there are no signs that Concacaf has any plans to further postpone this one. Temperatures are hovering around 7 degrees at the moment, with breezy conditions compounding the freezing conditions.
Inter Miami vs. Sporting Kansas City: Messi takes field for warm-ups
In a hat, at least one pair of gloves, and what appears to be several layers, Lionel Messi is out on the pitch at Children’s Mercy Park for pregame warm-ups.
Of course, the available footage doesn’t show him limbering up aggressively. Instead, he appears focused on a discussion with a member of Miami’s coaching staff who is so bundled up that we can’t identify who they are.
Sporting Kansas City lineup: KC announces starters to face Inter Miami
Sporting Kansas City has put out a starting eleven with few surprises, with key offseason addition Dejan Joveljic leading the line up top.
Inter Miami lineup: Messi starts Concacaf Champions Cup game
Ending the Messi speculation, Inter Miami has released its starting lineup to face Sporting Kansas City in Wednesday’s first leg of their Concacaf Champions Cup battle, and the Argentine icon will lead the team out.
Despite single-digit temperatures leading to speculation that Messi might sit out, the 37-year-old will captain Miami, while fellow ex-Barcelona stars Luis Suárez and Sergio Busquets will join him on the field at kickoff.
Messi appears set to play some part in Concacaf Champions Cup game
There has been plenty of speculation about whether Lionel Messi will play for Inter Miami in this Concacaf Champions Cup game due to the extraordinarily cold conditions.
However, Miami’s social media posts seem to indicate that Messi will at least be in uniform. With the Herons arriving at Children’s Mercy Park, the club tweeted a photo montage that included a Messi No. 10 jersey hanging up, a pretty solid sign that Messi will be somewhere on the team sheet.
That tracks with Miami head coach Javier Mascherano’s pre-game comments, with the Argentine denying reports earlier this week claiming that Messi might sit the match — which was pushed back a day due to Tuesday’s snow — out.
Inter Miami vs. Sporting KC: Brutally cold temperatures before kickoff
As expected, the weather in Kansas City is dangerously cold. Per WeatherUnderground, the current temperature is just 9 degrees, and it’s expected to drop throughout the game. A consistent breeze is only making matters worse, with the ‘Feels Like’ reading coming in at minus-6 degrees.
It looks like Miami is absolutely delighted to be in town:
How to watch Inter Miami vs. Sporting Kansas City match tonight?
The match will be available on FS2 in English, ViX+ in Spanish, and on Concacaf’s YouTube channel in Spanish. It is also available on Fubo.
Will Messi play in Kansas City?
Yes, Messi is expected to play despite the weather conditions. Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano said Monday that Messi is healthy and available.
What happened the last time Miami team played in frigid Kansas City?
The Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs played in a cold-weather NFL playoff game on Jan. 13, 2024.
At least 10 people were hospitalized and treated for frostbite and hypothermia. The game was played at negative 4 degrees with a wind chill of negative 27, marking the third-coldest kickoff wind chill ever, the Chiefs communications team said at the time. The Chiefs won 26-7.
What happened the last time Messi played in Kansas City?
Messi will play for the second time in the Kansas City area. This time, however, will be in Kansas.
Messi scored a goal and had an assist when Inter Miami beat Sporting Kansas City 3-2 on April 13, 2024. The game was played at the Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium in front of a reported crowd of 72,610 – the most-attended soccer match in state of Missouri and the third-most attended MLS game in history.
Inter Miami season opener time changed
Inter Miami will host New York City FC at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday to begin the 2025 MLS season at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
The start time was pushed back five hours due to the postponement of tonight’s Champions Cup game.
Sporting Kansas City’s MLS opener on the road at Austin FC in Texas will proceed at its scheduled time Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET.
When does Inter Miami and Sporting Kansas City play again?
The second leg of the Champions Cup first-round series between Inter Miami and Sporting Kansas City will be played next Tuesday at 8 p.m. at Chase Stadium.
Which team does Inter Miami or Sporting Kansas City play if it advances in Champions Cup?
The winner will face Jamaica Premier League champions Cavalier FC in the round of 16. The first leg will be on March 5, and the second leg will be on March 13. Cavalier received a bye to the round of 16 in the Champions Cup.