Lionel Messi is set to play in the coldest game he’s ever encountered with Inter Miami in the Concacaf Champions Cup opener at Sporting Kansas City. But he’ll have to wait until Wednesday to play it.
Concacaf, Inter Miami and Sporting Kansas City announced Monday they will postpone their match initially scheduled for Tuesday due to severe weather, prioritizing player and fan safety, in coordination with local authorities. All tickets sold will be honored for the Wednesday match at 8 p.m. ET inside Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas.
The National Weather Service in the Kansas City area has issued a winter storm warning and cold weather advisory, meteorologist Brad Temeyer told USA TODAY Sports on Monday. About 5 to 7 inches of snow, single-digit temperatures, and a wind chill 15-25 degrees below zero are expected Tuesday. The wind chill will be even lower on Wednesday night, approaching 15 to 30 degrees below zero.
“What we would suggest is that if you’re going to be outside for a prolonged period of time, make sure you dress appropriately for the conditions. And so that would include dressing in multiple layers because frostbite can set in as little as 30 minutes with prolonged exposure,” Temeyer said. “We’re looking at even colder temperatures later this week that could lead to hypothermia. That would be closer to Wednesday and Thursday.”
Frostbite and hypothermia? It might be football weather to some, but certainly not fútbol weather.
Wednesday’s game is the first of two between Inter Miami and Sporting Kansas City in the first round of the Champions Cup, one of five possible trophies Messi’s club will contend for in 2025. The second leg will be played next Tuesday at Inter Miami’s Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Both teams will also play their MLS season openers Saturday: Inter Miami hosts New York City FC, while Sporting Kansas City will visit Austin FC in Texas. An MLS spokesperson told USA TODAY Sports both games will go on as scheduled.
“I think what we have to think about is that it’s not just about the game. If the snow that they say is going to fall falls, we would believe that the city is going to be completely collapsed. So, people won’t be able to go out and the access roads are going to be closed. That’s the thing,” Inter Miami coach Javier Masherano said before the postponement.
“Often, people only think about the game itself and not everything that surrounds it. I think you have to look at the forest a little more than the tree, and in that sense it’s a bit, I think, that what the game calls into question.”
With the game postponed, longtime Sporting Kansas City coach Peter Vermes can return his focus to facing the likes of Inter Miami’s former Barcelona stars in Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba. Mascherano said Monday Messi is 100% healthy and will play, despite a report he would not play in the cold.
“We have to go all in. We know who we’re playing,” Vermes said. “I wish there was a lot different we can do, but we’re playing still some of the best players to play the game. They’re always a difficult group, and there’s one guy that can change the outcome of any game he ever plays in.”
From a player perspective, Sporting Kansas City’s Erik Thommy and Inter Miami’s Robert Taylor know both teams will be affected by the conditions when they meet.
“We were training the entire week. No one was asking us if it’s warm enough for us,” Thommy said. “We have to move and then you will forget the weather, because it’s all about the game. And we’re totally happy to welcome our fans.”
“I don’t think anyone likes those conditions. Playing in snow is always a little bit different,” Taylor said. “It’s all about preparation. And when you’re mentally ready for the game, it really doesn’t matter what the weather is because at the end of the day, it’s the same for both teams. There’s no excuses.”
Still, the weather is a concern for all parties involved, including fans in attendance.
At least 10 people were hospitalized and treated for frostbite and hypothermia, following an NFL playoff game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins on Jan. 13, 2024. The game was played at negative 4 degrees with a wind chill of negative 27, marking the third-coldest kickoff wind chill ever, the Chiefs communications team said at the time. The Chiefs won 26-7.
Sporting Kansas City hopes to use the weather to its advantage against Messi and Inter Miami this time around.
Messi scored a goal and had an assist when Inter Miami beat Sporting Kansas City 3-2 on April 13, 2024. The game was played at the Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium in front of a reported crowd of 72,610 – the most-attended soccer match in state of Missouri and the third-most attended MLS game in history.
‘It’s always hard to get ready to play in games in this,’ Vermes said. ‘I would assume it will be a little bit of a shock to them.’
(This story was updated with additional news and details.)
