Lionel Messi was in Utah on Wednesday ahead of Inter Miami’s match against Real Salt Lake, and the sight of him practicing in Herriman only sharpened the attention around a game already pulling in a crowd far bigger than a typical regular-season night. Inter Miami posted photos and video of Messi training there, while the lineup remained a mystery until an hour before kickoff at America First Field in Sandy.
Real Salt Lake spokesman Trey Fitz-Gerald said all indicators pointed to Messi likely starting and playing, but the club would not know for sure until the official XI came out. He called Messi’s stop in Utah a “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity. Around 21,000 people were expected, and that interest comes after Inter Miami’s trip to the Colorado Rapids last Saturday drew 75,824 fans at Empower Field at Mile High, the second-highest attendance ever for an MLS game. Only the July 4, 2023, meeting between the Los Angeles Galaxy and Los Angeles FC drew more, with 82,110.
This was only the second time Real Salt Lake had played Inter Miami, and the first time the matchup was staged in Utah. The Messi effect had already forced the club to weigh moving the game to a larger venue, but officials chose to keep it at home and protect the atmosphere for their 14,000 season ticket holders. Fitz-Gerald said the club felt an obligation to those supporters and wanted to give its team the best chance to win in a favorable setting.
For one local fan, the night carried a different kind of meaning. Ana Valdemoros said she had watched children in Messi jerseys years ago and was now bringing that feeling home with her own 5-year-old, whose favorite player is Messi. She said he makes her proud of her Argentine background and called the experience “priceless.”
What happens next is not complicated: if Messi starts, America First Field will be one more stop in a run of sold-out-level attention that has turned an ordinary league match into a stage event. If he does not, the crowd still comes for the possibility he might.
