March 17 – The cult of personality and the Lionel Messi story so often overshadows the Inter Miami one, and it feels like it is happening again in the last 16 of the Champions Cup.
Messi is in search of his 900th career goal and for Inter Miami to progress he probably needs to hurry up and score it.
Messi has not scored in his last three games, two of which have been goalless draws – against Charlotte in the MLS at the weekend and against Nashville in the first leg of the Champions Cup last week.
Miami managed just one shot on target against Nashville (from Messi of course). Inter Miami’s Canadian keeper Dayne St. Clair kept them in the tie with four important saves.
Going into the home leg in Fort Lauderdale, the Herons will start as favourites but they will need to live up to their mercurial billing if they are to beat an ambitious and hungry opposition who have a growing appetite for trophies.
Awaiting the winners is a quarter final tie against either Philadelphia Union or Mexican giants Club America. The Hispanic press is already salivating over the possibility of a Messi-Club America clash in March – a clash of two GOATs?
But Nashville and the Union still have a very big say in that and in this edition of the Champions Cup, Liga MX’s dominance of the past 20 years is being challenged by MLS clubs showing they are not here to make up the numbers.
Messi had been in good form at the start of the 2026 Major League Soccer season, before his mini-drought. Inter Miami are three points behind Nashville (the reigning MLS Cup champions) in the Eastern Conference who go into the second leg after a 1-0 win away at Columbus Crew the other day.
Messi, German Berterame, and Rodrigo De Paul will likely lead the Inter Miami line-up. On the bench they have an ageing but still potentially game changing Luis Suarez.
However, this is very far from being just about Inter Miami’s superstar line-up. They still have to get past Nashville goalkeeper Brian Schwake who last week recorded his third clean sheet in the Champions Cup with one crucial save that kept Inter Miami away from an away goal advantage.
Up front Nashville have their own fire power in Warren Madrigal and Sam Surridge who are proven goalscorers. Current Open Cup holders Nashville have a taste for big knock-out cup nights.
Inter Miami need to start scoring goals. Messi has scored 80 goals in 92 games following his arrival at the club in mid-season 2023. Suarez has scored 42 in 89 games since his arrival in 2024. Neither are getting younger. Would no goals from either them and a failure to go through mark a gentle turning point in their careers and Inter Miami’s fortunes? Does even the great Lionel Messi have a term limit?
First Leg: Nashville 0 Inter Miami 0
Second leg, March 18: Fort Lauderdale, Florida. KO 7pm (ET)