Messi Hits the Crossbar Twice from Free Kicks in Inter Miami’s Draw
Captain and forward Lionel Messi hit the crossbar twice from free kicks and had one assist ruled out for offside in Inter Miami’s 0-0 draw against Chicago Fire in the MLS.
At Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois on the evening of April 13, Messi made a strong impression but couldn’t find the net. The Argentine star played the full 90 minutes, completed two dribbles, touched the ball 70 times, and had a pass accuracy of 79%, including two key passes that created scoring chances. He attempted five shots, with two hitting the woodwork.
Messi hits the bar twice from free kicks in Inter Miami’s draw
In the 64th minute, from a free-kick about 25 meters out on the left, Messi curled the ball over the wall toward the far corner. Goalkeeper Chris Brady got a slight touch on it, pushing the ball onto the crossbar and out.
In the 86th minute, Inter Miami earned another free-kick from a much tighter angle near the right corner flag. Messi again went for goal, curling the ball toward the far post, but it struck the post and went out.
Additionally, the 37-year-old forward delivered a one-touch lofted pass to Luis Suárez, who broke through and scored with a low shot across goal. However, the goal was disallowed due to an offside call.
The 0-0 draw drops Inter Miami to third place in the MLS Eastern Conference with 15 points, one point behind Cincinnati and Charlotte, but with one game in hand. On April 20, Messi and his teammates will face Columbus Crew in their next match.
Messi loses assist due to offside
Yesterday, MLS announced that 62,358 fans were present at Soldier Field to watch the match between Chicago Fire and Inter Miami – the highest attendance in the club’s history. It was Messi’s first time playing at this venue.
Previously, New England Revolution and Sporting KC had set similar attendance records when facing Messi’s Inter Miami in 2024. The match against the Revolution was held at Gillette Stadium, while the match against SKC took place at Arrowhead Stadium.
Several other MLS clubs have had to move their matches against Inter Miami to larger stadiums to meet ticket demand. For example, Columbus Crew has decided to move their upcoming match against Inter Miami to Huntington Bank Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio.
“Messi is changing how the world views MLS,” said coach Javier Mascherano after the draw with Chicago Fire. “He’s a player capable of achieving all of that, bringing maximum visibility to a league like this. We saw it again today, and it’s just one of many examples of everything Messi brings.”