Inter Miami's Argentine forward Lionel Messi. File Picture: Peter PARKS, AFP
JUST in case Chicago is not Lionel Messi’s kind of town for a second consecutive season, the Fire are taking precautions for a scheduled game against Inter Miami on August 31 in the Windy City.
The Major League Soccer (MLS) club said it will offer either a $250 or $100 voucher if Messi fails to play in Chicago later this season.
Messi missed an Inter Miami game at Chicago late last season for what appeared to be load management reasons, with soreness from scar tissue listed as the reason the Argentina superstar did not travel to Chicago.
That game was sold out last season in anticipation of Messi’s visit.
Messi did play in Chicago on June 9 for Argentina in a friendly against Ecuador in advance of the Copa America.
Seeing Messi in a boot 😰 pic.twitter.com/7zh84gYnTu
— B/R Football (@brfootball) July 21, 2024
The voucher options being offered are available to anyone who purchases tickets between now and the August 31 game. If Messi does not take the field, the $250 voucher can be used on season tickets for 2025, or the $100 voucher can be used the next time Inter Miami visits Chicago in 2025.
For fans who have already purchased tickets for the August 31 game, they will have a chance to claim two free tickets to the regular-season home finale on October 19 against Nashville SC.
The offers came as the Fire travelled to Florida to face Inter Miami on Saturday at Fort Lauderdale. Messi was not scheduled to play in that game because of what the team called a ligament injury in his right ankle that occurred in the Copa final last Sunday when Argentina earned a 1-0 victory over Colombia to defend their title.
That was Messi’s 45th title, which made him the most decorated player of all time.
Meanwhile, Olivier Giroud, who, like Messi, has swapped European football for the MLS, is expected to provide a much-needed boost for his new club Los Angeles FC (LAFC) .
The leading goal scorer in France national team history with 57, Giroud signed with LAFC earlier this season and just finished playing in the European Championship.
At LAFC, Giroud further strengthens an attack that includes Denis Bouanga (14 goals, third in MLS) and Mateusz Bogusz (12).
Reuters
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