Messi one goal from 900 ahead of Inter Miami vs. Nashville Champions Cup showdown
Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano and his staff had plenty of video to study in preparation for the opening leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16 series against Nashville SC on Wednesday night.
When the teams line up at Geodis Field, it will be the 20th time the clubs face each other since they debuted in MLS in 2020. They are each other’s most familiar foe, and Wednesday’s match will be the eighth time they meet in a knockout tournament.
Miami and Nashville have played in MLS regular season games, playoff games, the U.S. Open Cup, the Leagues Cup and the Champions Cup. Inter Miami holds the edge in the series with nine wins. Nashville has won five times, and the teams tied the other five.
Nashville clashes seem to bring out the best in Lionel Messi, who has scored 15 goals in their 10 meetings, the most against any opponent since he joined the league in the summer of 2023.
Last season, Inter Miami won four of five against Nashville, including a 4-0 rout that advanced the team to the knockout round of the MLS playoffs for the first time in club history.
Messi and Tadeo Allende each had a brace in that game.
On Wednesday, Messi might be extra dangerous, as he needs one goal to reach the 900-goal milestone. Only Cristiano Ronaldo, who has 965 goals, has achieved that mark.
“Clearly, we don’t fully grasp the magnitude of it; talking about him scoring 900 goals is insane, incredible for such a unique player,” Mascherano said of his former teammate with Barcelona and Argentina’s national team. “The truth is, I always end up saying the same thing: Leo’s numbers are amazing, but above all, statistics are the least important aspect.
“You can score a lot of goals, the key is how you do it, and he’s managed not only to reach incredible numbers in terms of goals and assists, but also because of what he contributes to the game itself, which I believe is much more important than his stats.”
Inter Miami center back Maxi Falcon said as a defender he is inspired by Messi and feels a responsibility to make sure the Argentine legend gets the ball so he can work his magic.
“I have been watching Leo for 20 years, since his days at Barca,” Falcon said. “We get used to what he does, but it’s incredible what he does. As a teammate, all I can do is enjoy watching him and help him however I can so he can continue adding to his stats. He doesn’t only impact the games with his goals, but also with how many defenders he draws, how the game changes just by his movements.”
Mascherano added: “Hopefully we can help him as a team to reach 900 [Wednesday] or even surpass it. That’s it. It will mean that we played a good game, that we were able to score away from home, which is very important in this competition, and that it will give us the chance to decide the matchup here at home with our fans.”
The return leg of the series is March 18 at 7 p.m. in Fort Lauderdale, the last match Inter Miami will play at its old stadium before the opening of Nu Stadium at Miami Freedom Park April 4, where Miami will face Austin FC in a league game.
Mascherano expects Nashville players and their fans to be highly motivated to beat Messi and his teammates at their home stadium (7:30 p.m., FS2).
“It’s a tough, difficult game, as always when we play in Nashville. We know their fans will be putting on the pressure, and above all, we have to keep in mind that they’re a team with blood in their eyes,” Mascherano on Tuesday.
“When you face an opponent that we’ve fortunately eliminated and that helped us win the championship last year, and in previous seasons the club has even won finals against them, it’s clear that they’re going to want their revenge. So above all, we’re taking into account that we’re going to face a rival that has a great thirst for sporting revenge, clearly not for any other kind, and we have to be very prepared for that.”
Nashville is led by 2025 MVP finalist Sam Surridge, former league MVP Hany Mukhtar, defender Andy Nájar, and the attack got stronger with the addition of Cristian Espinoza.
Both teams started the 2026 MLS season with two wins and a tie. Nashville advanced to the Champions Cup Round of 16 by beating Canadian club Atletico Ottawa 7-0 on aggregate. Inter Miami earned a bye as defending MLS champion.
Miami reached the semifinals of last year’s Champions Cup before falling to the Vancouver Whitecaps 5-1 on aggregate. Club managing owner Jorge Mas has said winning this tournament is a priority this season, as it would lead to a berth in the 2029 Club World Cup.
Mascherano said he views all the competitions the same but agreed the Champions Cup is a priority right now.
“We’re not a team that chooses one competition over another,” said Mascherano. “Clearly, the Champions Cup is the only competition the club normally plays in that we’re missing, and it’s generating a lot of excitement for all of us…the start of the MLS season and Champions Cup are the two priorities in this part of the season. What we can’t allow is for this to become an obsession. It’s one thing to be excited, another to be obsessed. When you’re obsessed with something, you’re likely to make mistakes.”