Disappointment is close to a guarantee for Wednesday’s Chicago Fire match at Soldier Field, which likely will take place without Lionel Messi.
The international superstar has missed four of the last five games for Inter Miami and sat out an international game for Argentina during the same span.
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Inter Miami has maintained that Messi is “day-to-day” since he left a Sept. 20 game against Toronto, initially categorizing the cause of his absence as “fatigue.” This has since evolved into an unspecified leg injury, yet the club has refused to provide further details about his health.
The Fire are set to host Inter Miami on Wednesday, a game that initially was met with fanfare by the club and local fans. But it’s becoming increasingly unlikely that Messi will make an appearance in the highly touted — and sold-out — match.
“He might be ready to play against Chicago, he might be on the bench,” coach Tata Martino told the Miami Herald. “If we think there’s still a risk and he has to be left out, he will be left out.”
Messi was on the practice field Tuesday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., the Associated Press reported, but Martino again declined to provide a timetable when he spoke with reporters beforehand.
Here’s what to know about Wednesday’s game.
How big is the Messi frenzy?
Before the June 7 announcement of Messi’s signing with the MLS club, the Fire had sold close to 10,000 tickets for their match against Inter Miami. By the end of that day, they had sold nearly 10,000 more tickets, practically doubling their expected attendance overnight.
Local supporter groups raffled off tickets as fundraisers. Billboards emblazoned with pictures of Messi popped up throughout downtown Chicago. The Fire quickly assembled ticket packages that included additional games along with the Inter Miami match.
With excitement building, the Fire were hopeful the game could break the franchise attendance record of 54,432, which was set in 2005 against the Columbus Crew. A team spokesman said the club was considering opening the upper bowl of Soldier Field in anticipation of overwhelming interest in the game.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding Messi’s availability, the Fire announced a sellout on their social media accounts Monday night.
The team also said Tuesday it’s offering a $250 credit toward 2024 season tickets — or a $50 credit for single-game tickets — to anyone who bought a single-game ticket to Wednesday’s match, “regardless of which players are able to make an appearance on the pitch.”
“While we don’t yet know the official status of Lionel Messi’s availability for our match tomorrow, as there’s never a guarantee that an athlete will play on any given night due to several factors, we understand that many of our fans may be disappointed if they don’t get the chance to see him play,” the Fire said in a statement.
“We realize that there will be many in attendance who are coming to a Chicago Fire match at Soldier Field for the first time, and we’re excited to welcome them to the Fire Family and give them an opportunity to become long-term fans by creating a wonderful, fan-focused atmosphere.”
How much is a ticket now?
Wednesday could teach a harsh lesson in the risk of resale — particularly when it comes to price-gouging tickets to see a sports superstar.
Many of the tickets sold in June were clearly slated as an opportunity to make a buck off the expected resale value of a chance to see Messi in person. In that same window of time, the cheapest available resale price on Ticketmaster skyrocketed to $260 before fees.
Resale ticket prices have now tumbled, with options as low as $50 available Monday.
Some hopeful resellers remain. A handful of supporters section tickets are listed at $118 apiece. A smattering of lower bowl tickets — listed by the club at $159 apiece — are still saddled with exorbitant prices ranging from $550 to $4,000. One pair of all-inclusive field tickets is priced at $5,000 apiece for a total of $11,686.10 after fees.
Why isn’t Messi playing?
Messi hasn’t played since Sept. 20, when he exited a game against Toronto FC after playing for only 37 minutes. Inter Miami and Messi himself have refused to provide information surrounding the severity or nature of the injury.
Florida-based reporter Caden DeLisa posted on social media Saturday that Messi “sustained a 2 cm hamstring tear, confirmed via MRI,” but Martino denied that rumor when it was addressed in the postgame media availability later that day.
Will Messi be in Chicago even if he doesn’t play?
MLS teams often choose to travel only the 18 players made active for a game, leaving the rest at home to focus on either training or injury rehab. If Miami is in fact targeting a home game for Messi to make his return, the team could elect to keep him home entirely to maintain a training cadence.
Does Wednesday’s game still matter?
Whether Messi makes an appearance or not, Wednesday’s game is a must-win for the Fire as they jockey for the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Fire are locked in a three-way tie for ninth in the Eastern Conference table with D.C. United and CF Montreál, which holds the tiebreaker. With three games left in the regular season, Wednesday’s result will be critical for the Fire to make the playoffs for the first time since 2017.