Messi, Inter Miami settle for 0-0 tie on road vs. Chicago Fire in front of record crowd
A Chicago Fire record crowd of 62,358 showed up at Soldier Field on Sunday for the game against Inter Miami and based on the number of pink No. 10 shirts in the stands, a sizable percentage of the audience was there to see Miami captain Lionel Messi.
The fans got to see the Argentine icon play the full game and take four shots, but none found the back of the net, as Inter Miami and the Fire played to a scoreless tie. It was the first time Miami was shut out this MLS season.
Inter Miami remains unbeaten with four wins, three ties and no losses for 15 points, but dropped to fourth place in the Eastern Conference behind Columbus (18), Charlotte (16) and Cincinnati (16).
Messi did not play because of injuries the past two times Inter Miami visited Chicago, and both of those games also drew in excess of 55,000 fans, who were heartbroken that he didn’t show up. This time, they got to see their hero, and a good performance from their home team.
“It’s nice to see this stadium filled up,” Chicago Fire coach Gregg Berhalter said. “I think both teams put on a good effort and a good show for the fans.”
Going into the game, Berhalter said the key for the Fire was to “limit the damage” against Messi and his high-profile team. That they did. After scoring 12 goals through six games, Miami was held scoreless.
Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano said while he would have liked a victory, avoiding a loss was important, especially considering the jam-packed schedule the team has been navigating between league play and a run to the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals.
Miami was coming off an emotionally and physically draining win against LAFC in the Champions Cup quarterfinals on Wednesday night.
“[The game against Chicago] was a tough match against an opponent which has had a very good start to the season; let’s not forget that other teams are playing one game a week and our team has been playing every three or four days for the past two months,” Mascherano said.
“That is a heavy load physically and mentally, and our team keeps competing. Some days we do better, some days we are not as good. But at the end, the team leaves its heart and soul on the field. I leave with the feeling that the team tried everything until the end to win. Now, fortunately, we have a long week of training ahead, which gives us a bit of breathing room after the intense start to the season.”
Mascherano was also pleased that Miami kept a clean sheet, thanks in large part to seven saves by goalkeeper Oscar Ustari.
The Fire’s best chance came in the 88th minute when Jonathan Bamba’s point-blank shot was stopped by Ustari. Bamba had another chance in the 90th minute, which Ustari also thwarted. The 38-year-old Argentine keeper also made a big save in the 26th minute on a long-range shot from Mauricio Pineda.
On the other end of the field, Messi and his teammates had chances to score, but could not finish.
Messi had a good opportunity early on, with a left-footed shot from outside the box in the fourth minute that forced a diving save from Chicago goalkeeper Chris Brady. Suarez took a shot from close range off a Noah Allen assist in first-half added time, but it sailed high.
Messi earned a free kick in the 62nd minute, but his attempt clanked off the crossbar. He had another free kick 13 minutes later that sailed over the upper corner. A free kick in the 86th minute also went high.
Inter Miami took the field with Ustari in goal; Gonzalo Luján, Tomás Avilés, Maximiliano Falcón and Noah Allen along the back line; Benjamin Cremaschi, Sergio Busquets and Federico Redondo in midfield; and Messi, Suárez, and Telasco Segovia led the attack.
Left back Jordi Alba got a rest, but entered the game in the 59th minute, replacing Aviles. Tadeo Allende went in for Segovia at the 60-minute mark, and Yannick Bright replaced Redondo in the 71st minute.
Unused subs were: Ian Fray, Marcelo Weigandt, Fafa Picault, Drake Callender, David Martinez and Allen Obando.
Robert Taylor and Julian Gressel did not make the game roster, per coach’s decision. “I have to bring 20 players and because we already had Fafa and Allende on the bench, and Jordi could play on the wing, as well, I made the decision [to leave Taylor and Gressel home].
Inter Miami returns to action on Saturday with a 4:30 p.m. league road game against the first-place Columbus Crew and then heads to Vancouver for the first leg of the Champions Cup semifinal on April 24.
This story was originally published April 13, 2025 at 10:55 PM with the headline "Messi, Inter Miami settle for 0-0 tie on road vs. Chicago Fire in front of record crowd."