Messi, Inter Miami aim for first win at Nu Stadium vs. revamped Red Bull New York
Despite all the housewarming festivities and fireworks, Inter Miami left its Nu Stadium debut unsatisfied last weekend after settling for a tie against Austin FC. Lionel Messi and his teammates are eager to truly celebrate with a home win over Red Bull New York on Saturday.
Miami (3-1-2) sits in fourth place in the MLS Eastern Conference, only two points from the top of the standings, while New York (3-2-1) is just one point behind in seventh.
“It was a strange feeling after that game because we tied and we all wanted to inaugurate the stadium with a victory,” Miami coach Javier Mascherano said on Friday. “But we did enough to win, creating so many chances, whereas other games we have only six or seven chances and score four. The past few games we had 39 goal-scoring chances and we converted five. That’s the reality.
“We have to keep improving and try not to fall behind because we are a much better team when we go ahead early and control the game and not go crazy chasing a win.”
Inter Miami is unbeaten in seven games across all competitions since its season-opening loss at Los Angeles FC, and Mascherano said some of the criticism the team faces is unwarranted.
“I understand there is a lot of noise from outside because of the quality of players we have and the high expectations people have for our club, but we are not doing that badly,” Mascherano said.
“We have played eight games and we only lost one, the opener. Yes, we were eliminated from Champions Cup, and that was one of our objectives, but we didn’t lose those games. There are a lot of positives. I don’t see it so bad or so dark. Game by game the team will continue to improve.”
Mascherano’s team will have to step up to beat Red Bull New York, which is improved under first-year coach Michael Bradley, the former U.S. national team star. New York is coming off a 4-2 win against FC Cincinnati.
“They are completely different from last season,” Mascherano said. “They changed nine of 11 starters and changed their style of play. They are playing more direct, have a lot of youth, are dynamic, and their coach is young but very courageous. They are coming off a big win over Cincinnati. We know it is difficult to play Cincinnati and to score four goals, no less. We are facing a team in a good place that surely will come here to play.”
Julian Hall has been particularly impressive so far this season. With his goal against Cincinnati, he became the youngest player in MLS history at 18 years and 11 days old to score five goals in the first six games of a season.
“We must match their intensity and come out strong, not like the other day,” Mascherano said. “After analyzing our game from the other day, in addition to the two goals we scored, we had 18 chances to score, the majority in the second half, a ton in the final 15 minutes, but we should be strong from the opening whistle.”
Meanwhile, Bradley feels Miami is still a formidable team, although it is not dominating as it did at the end of last season
“It’s a very good team, a very good team with a lot of very good players; and so we’re really, really looking forward to the challenge of going down there, playing in their new stadium, and testing ourselves against the defending champions,” he said.
“Obviously when the season started and you are managing Champions Cup and the travel and the games that go with that…they’re not the first team to have, if you want to call it, a little bit of a slower start. That is normal in a lot of ways. And so, we still look at them and see a really good team, and as I said, really excited for the challenge of going there to try to test our football.”
Bradley said facing Messi presents unique challenges, and he is looking forward to that test. The 38-year-old Argentine captain has scored five goals in six MLS games this season, but has no assists, a sign that the Miami offense is not clicking as it did in the final stretch of 2025.
“Anybody who loves football and loves the game and anybody who has watched him so closely over the last 20 years, you see, for me, the best player of all time,” Bradley said. “You see a player with so much quality, skill, ease to just do anything that he needs to on the field.”
Messi’s ability to “almost lull you to sleep” is something opponents must always be aware of, Bradley said.
“He can appear at certain times, almost distant, disinterested, or almost like he’s taken a little bit of a rest,” Bradley said. “And then, all of a sudden, the switch flips, and he’s on and alive. And ready to take a play and turn it into a goal.”
Mascherano is still tinkering with how to get the most out of Messi and the team’s attack after the retirement of Spanish legends Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba. He dropped Messi’s former Barcelona teammate Luis Suarez from the starting lineup during the playoffs and for most of this season in favor of younger, quicker wingers, but Suarez came off the bench and scored against Austin FC on Saturday.
With Tadeo Allende missing from training all week due to an unspecified injury, it is possible Suarez will start again on Saturday.
“The interesting thing always with Messi and this is really in any team that he plays in, is the part of how they use him, are they going to use him as a little bit more of a false nine, where they have two wingers that that now give a little bit of the reference out wide? Or are they going to use him a little bit more from the right where then he can move inside?” Bradley said.
“And the dynamic of how they play tilts a little bit more that way. So those are some of the things that we watch and we’re looking at. No matter what, we’re going to have a group that is ready when that whistle blows to understand what the game is going to be all about really try to push things and go after the game.”
Red Bull defender Dylan Nealis, who played for Inter Miami in 2020, said: “It looks like a beautiful stadium. Hopefully it’s a good atmosphere. I think we’re all up for it, we’re all super excited for it, but nothing new changes on our end. It’ll be the same principle, same ideas for us, whether it’s, you know, playing against whoever, and new stadium and whatnot, but just excited to get down there this weekend and stick to our ideas and principles.”
How to Watch Inter Miami vs. Red Bull New York
Saturday’s game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. at Nu Stadium and will be broadcast on Apple TV. Fans are encouraged to take public transportation to the new stadium. Ridership on Metrorail and Tri Rail (which drops off at the Miami Intermodal Station by the airport, a 10-15 minute walk from the stadium) was significantly higher than usual on game day last Saturday and Tri Rai added late trains for post-game. For those who drive, parking passes must be purchased in advance. There is no parking for sale on site.
Argentina to play World Cup warmups at Texas A&M and Auburn
Messi and defending World Cup champion Argentina will play two 2026 World Cup warm-up games at college stadiums. The first is June 6 vs. Honduras at Texas A&M and the second on June 9 vs. Iceland at Auburn, the Argentine federation announced on Thursday.
The June 6 match will be played at Kyle Field. Mexico played Brazil at the stadium in June of 2024 and drew a crowd of 85,249.
Auburn’s Jordan-Hare Stadium will host the match vs. Iceland on June 9, the first international soccer game in the stadium’s 87-year history.
Argentina’s team will have its base camp at the Sporting KC training grounds and play World Cup group stage matches June 16 vs. Algeria in Kansas City, June 22 vs. Austria in Arlington, Texas, and June 27 vs. Jordan in Arlington, Texas.