Messi leads Inter Miami vs. Crew in MLS clash of unbeatens, 67,000 fans expected

Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald on Apr 18, 2025

Published in Soccer

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MIAMI — A crowd of 60,000-plus awaits Lionel Messi and his teammates for the second weekend in a row as Inter Miami takes on the Columbus Crew at Cleveland’s Huntington Bank Field in a Saturday afternoon battle of the only unbeaten teams in Major League Soccer.

The game was moved from the Crew’s cozy 20,000-seat Lower.com Field, which reportedly did not sit well with a segment of the team’s fans, who feel this will not be a true home game and view the move as a purely financial decision by Crew majority owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam.

The Haslems also own the Cleveland Browns and will benefit significantly with an expected crowd of 67,000, many of whom will likely be there to see Messi, as is always the case when the Argentine icon takes his show on the road. Instead of a sea of yellow and black, there surely will be large swaths of fans in pink No. 10 jerseys and Argentina national team shirts.

“Hopefully, the fans are more in our favor because this is supposed to be a home game,” said Crew forward Jacen Russell-Rowe. “I don’t think as players it affects us greatly; it just would be nice to have more fans in our favor going out there. But it’s going to be enjoyable having a big crowd and a big atmosphere.”

Inter Miami enters the highly anticipated match with four wins, three ties and no losses for 15 points. The Crew leads the Eastern Conference with 18 points on five wins and three ties. Both teams fell short of expectations in the playoffs last season, but won hardware, as Columbus won the Leagues Cup and Miami the Supporters Shield.

Columbus does not match Miami for star power, but its coach, Wilfried Nancy, is one of the most respected in the league and always has his teams ready.

It is the fourth time in MLS history that unbeatens have played against each other after at least five games in the season and the first time since 2017 (Sporting Kansas City vs. FC Dallas).

The last time the teams met, in Columbus in October 2024, Messi scored two goals to lead Miami to a 3-2 victory that secured the Supporters Shield.

“Columbus is one of the best teams in the league, with a very clear identity, which was instilled by their coach, a coach who has won the MLS title and other important titles,” said Inter Miami’s first-year coach Javier Mascherano. “For us, this is a challenge, and for me as a coach, facing a coach who will try to make things difficult. We accept that challenge, knowing this will be a difficult match.”

The Crew recently acquired Daniel Gazdag from the Philadelphia Union to replace 2024 MLS MVP-runner up Cucho Hernandez, the Colombian star who left for Spanish La Liga club Real Betis. Gazdag scored 59 league goals and 72 overall during his five years with the Union.

Gazdag scored the lone Philadelphia goal in a 2-1 loss to Inter Miami on March 29. Messi and Robert Taylor scored for Miami in that game.

“I haven’t beaten them in a long time, but I just scored a goal against them four weeks ago,” Gazdag said, smiling, during a Thursday news conference. “They have a very good team, very good individuals, obviously. They sometimes show the game down on purpose and then try to get the ball to Messi and he just does his thing and they score so many goals.

“We would like to close him out, if that’s possible. But we have to play our own game, which the guys proved in the past works. I would like to do that and score against them and keep three points at home.”

Inter Miami goalkeeper Oscar Ustari, who preserved a scoreless tie against the Chicago Fire last week with a great save in the dying minutes, feels his team is up for the challenge the Crew will present.

“It’s going to be an important game because we face one of the best teams in the league, so we have to be careful because we know they have a great coach and roster,” Ustari said. “But we are confident we have the quality to keep doing what we’ve been doing.”

Mascherano agreed.

“These are the only two unbeaten teams MLS, both have done relatively well to be in this position, this is an opponent who will test us and make things difficult for us,” Mascherano said. “But we’re ready and it’s a good barometer to see where we stand. It’s always interesting to face a really good team to see where you stand.”

Miami midfielder David Ruiz, who was recovering from a hamstring injury, had a minor setback two weeks ago, so the team is taking it slow with him, Mascherano said.

How to watch

Inter Miami vs. Columbus Crew kicks off at 4:30 p.m. Fans can watch on Apple TV MLS Season Pass.

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Miami Herald Deputy Sports Editor Andre Fernandez contributed to this report.