'Once in a lifetime' opportunity: Soccer star Messi in Utah for Inter Miami-Real Salt Lake game

SANDY — Argentine soccer superstar Lionel Messi has been sighted in Utah ahead of the game Wednesday between his team, Inter Miami CF, and Real Salt Lake, and Ana Valdemoros, for one, is excited.

"Many years ago, when I first arrived to the U.S., I would see little kids wearing Messi soccer jerseys, and it always made me so proud knowing they were cheering for an Argentine. Now I get to cheer him on with my own 5-year-old, whose favorite soccer player is Messi," said Valdemoros, originally from Argentina but now living in Utah.

The lineup for Wednesday's game at America First Field in Sandy won't be released until shortly before the start of the match, but Trey Fitz-Gerald, the Real Salt Lake spokesman, noted photos and video posted by Inter Miami of Messi practicing in Herriman. "All indicators seem to point to him likely starting and playing, but we just won't know until the lineup comes out an hour before kickoff," Fitz-Gerald said.

Like Valdemoros, Fitz-Gerald, too, is excited, even if he'll be rooting for Real Salt Lake, calling Messi's stop in Utah a "once-in-a-lifetime" opportunity. Messi led Argentina to the 2022 World Cup victory, among many other accomplishments, and he's "the most decorated player" in the history of soccer, according to ESPN.

"Messi is the greatest of all time. He's better than Pelé. He's better than Diego Maradona. He's better than Cristiano Ronaldo," Fitz-Gerald said, referencing other soccer superstars. "He is a Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali, Tiger Woods type of athlete."

'The true GOAT'

Wednesday's game will only be the second time Real Salt Lake has played the Miami team and the first time they've faced off in Utah, according to Fitz-Gerald. Given that and Messi's superstar status, prices for tickets to the game on secondary markets have skyrocketed, he said, and he expects a packed stadium.

Around 21,000 people are expected at the game, a far cry from the 75,824 who attended last Saturday's game between Inter Miami and the Colorado Rapids at the much larger Denver Broncos stadium, Empower Field at Mile High. That attendance was the second-highest at any Major League Soccer game ever, according to the league, second only to a July 4, 2023, game between the Los Angeles Galaxy and Los Angeles FC that drew 82,110 fans.

Fitz-Gerald, however, stressed the importance of Real Salt Lake being able to play in its more compact home stadium, though team officials gave thought to moving the match to a larger venue given Messi's drawing power.

"While we may have sold a lot more tickets, and there'd probably be a lot more Messi fans, we do feel an obligation to the loyalty of our 14,000 season ticket holders and, again, competitively, we want to give our team the best chance to win. That's being at home in a favorable atmosphere," he said.

For Valdemoros, who runs a shop in Salt Lake City that makes and sells Argentine empanadas, Argentina's Best Empanadas, the most important thing is being able to see Messi. Soccer is a passion in Argentina, and Messi's status as an icon in the sport puts him on a pedestal.

"He's by far one of the people who makes me feel most proud of my Argentine background. He represents talent, humility and greatness, and through adversity, he has conquered it all, proving he is the true GOAT," or greatest of all time, Valdemoros said. Beyond that, being able to attend the game with her son and pass along "the Argentine soccer passion" to a new generation, she said, "is priceless."

Read more:

Voces de Utah

Looking for more news from Utah's Latino community? Visit our Voces de Utah section for more stories, events and features.

Fitz-Gerald understands the focus on Messi and, as a Real Salt Lake aficionado, takes it all in stride. Still, he sees opportunity in the match for Real Salt Lake, even if Messi and the Inter Miami team, which won the MLS championship last year, seem to be focus of all the hype.

"Look, if we win 5-4 or 5-0 or whatever, then we won't be overshadowed. It's an opportunity for our team, which we believe is the most talented team we've had in 10 or 15 years, to test themselves against the defending champion," Fitz-Gerald said. Real Salt Lake has a 5-1-1 record, five wins, one loss and one draw, while Inter Miami's record is 4-1-3.

Real Salt Lake officials advise those attending Wednesday's game, which starts at 7:30 p.m., to arrive early. Drone shows will be part of the festivities along with a flyover before the start of the game by airmen from the 388th and 419th Fighter Wings stationed at Hill Air Force Base. The Sandy Police Department will shift traffic patterns around America First Field before and after the game to accommodate the expected crowd.

Related topics