With a terrifying cold and extreme temperatures around -15 degrees Celsius, the Inter Miamiwith a goal of Lionel Messihis 2025 season with a 0-1 fell on Wednesday against Sporting Kansas City in the first round of the first round of the Champions Cup of Concacaf.
The first official party of Inter Miami had to have been played on Tuesday, but was postponed 24 hours by a snowstorm. However, the cold atmosphere and very hard temperatures were maintained this Wednesday, so much that around 7:00 p.m., when the initial whistle rang, the thermal sensation in the Children’s Mercy Park stadium by Kansas City (Kansas, USA) was of -21 degrees.
Luis Suarez was left unmarked against Kansas City
Inter Miami dominated the meeting with Messi, Luis Suárez and Sergio Busquets as headlines (Jordi Alba lost the party for sanction). But Rosa’s team did not find the necessary precision, especially in the difficult conditions in which this duel was played, until the second half, when Messi signed her first goal of the year with a genius brand of the house. Rosario’s star played the game from beginning to end.
This Sporting Kansas City-Inter Miami also meant the official debut of Argentine Javier Mascherano as coach of Florida’s team, which remained undefeated in the preseason after five games. The return of this first round of the Concacaf Champions Cup will be played next Tuesday at the Inter Miami Stadium, predictably with much more pleasant temperatures. Before that, Messi and company will debut at the MLS on Saturday with a home confrontation in front of the New York City FC.
In spite of the cold with which he ran into the field, Inter Miami tried to display his football and already in minute 7 had his first occasion with a leaked pass from Messi to Suárez, whose shot was touched to the stick. The ball was totally from Inter Miami before a Sporting Kansas City who barely found Dejan Joveljić, his new reference in attack arrived from the galaxy.

Fel cold of Kansas (-15º) did not stop the fans
But the opportunities, even if they were not all very clear, were from the visitors: a diverted shot by Messi, a header from Tadeo Allende, a thread shot of Suárez … With 0-0 the two teams shot at the locker room left In search of some heat.
The script remained in the resumption, with Inter Miami controlling the game but still looking for the aim in the final meters. Everything changed with a Messi magic detail. Busquets looked for him with a long front pass and the Argentine genius went down wonderfully with his chest, turned with a fantastic skill to mislead the local rear and his shot with the right ended up on the net after giving on the stick.
The goal allowed those of Mascherano to step back, take refuge and look for the back of a Sporting Kansas City forced to turn to the attack. Those of Celeste, with more heart than football, had some occasions of danger as a counterattack of Daniel Sallói, but his shot ended in the body of Óscar Ustari.
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Inter Miami did something long, before a Sporting Kansas City that overwhelmed him at times, but Messi’s certified the victory on an Arctic night in Kansas.
Technical file
0 – Sporting Kansas City: John Pulskamp; Jake Davis, Robert Voloder, Dany Rosero (Joaquín Fernández, m.46), Tim Leibold (Logan Ndenbe, m.62); Memo Rodríguez (Manu García, m.62), Nemanja Radoja, Jacob Bartlett, Erik Thommy; Daniel Sallói (Stephen Afrifa, m.83) and leave Joveljic (William Agada, m.62).
Coach: Peter Vermes.
1 – Inter Miami: Óscar Ustari; Marcelo Weigandt, Gonzalo Luján, Tomás Avilés, Noah Allen; Tadeo Allende (Fafà Picault, m.73), Federico Redondo, Sergio Busquets, Telasco Segovia (Benjamin Cremaschi, m.79); Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez (Robert Taylor, m.90).
Coach: Javier Mascherano.
Goal: 0-1, Leo Messi (m. 56)
Referee: Marco Ortiz. He admonished Manu García del Sporting Kansas City and Federico Redondo at Inter Miami.
Incidents: first leg of the first phase of the Concacaf Champions Cup played at Children’s Mery Park by Kansas City (Kansas, USA).
