
How to watch Cavalier vs. Inter Miami: Lionel Messi's side seeks Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinals
Lionel Messi makes his first trip to Jamaica, the 48th country covered in his storied career. His Inter Miami club looks to advance past Cavalier FC into the Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinals after winning the opening leg, 2-0.
This match was relocated from Cavalier's usual 3,000-seat home ground to the National Stadium, familiar to national team fans as 'The Office.' Inter Miami is in a groove, unbeaten in its six total matches of 2025. It thoroughly triumphed in last Thursday's action even with Messi resting, as Tadeo Allende struck in the 61st minute and Luis Suárez added a goal in the 83rd.
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'Leo Messi is on the roster and will travel with the team to Jamaica,' Mascherano told media on Wednesday. 'Tomorrow we will decide for the game what is best, if he starts or waits on the bench and comes in later.'
Allende also scored in Sunday's MLS tilt with Charlotte, which Miami won 1-0. He has a goal in four consecutive outings, while Suárez has three goals in that four-match span.
Cavalier won the 2024 Concacaf Caribbean Cup and finished first in the Jamaica Premier League. They lost in last year's tournament to MLS' Cincinnati FC, 6-0 on aggregate. If Miami holds on Thursday night, they'll face league peers in LAFC.
The Athletic's Conor O'Neill on Messi's first trip to yet another country:
'Across 1,086 club and international matches in 48 countries and 179 cities, Messi has scored 852 goals. Yet this will be the first Caribbean stamp on his footballing passport. For a player who struggled with intense homesickness after leaving Rosario for Barcelona at 13, the Argentinian has since enjoyed a career that's taken him across six continents. Completing the continental set with a match in Antarctica is logistically challenging — though last month's trip to Kansas City, played in -9°C (16°F), was a suitable proxy for the ice-capped, largely uninhabited landmass.'
Pablo Maurer, live from Kingston:
''He's going to love Jamaica,' Campbell, who is in his 60s, says with a laugh. 'We love him here, he's gonna love us. Only Pelé was better.' The shadow of the Brazilian legend looms large in the entire Caribbean, where he was and still is widely idolized. Some 30,000 fans will fill The Office to watch Miami play, but the number won't approach the 45,000 who showed up in 1975 to watch Pelé's New York Cosmos face a Jamaican all-star team. Even tiny Cavalier FC has its own story about him, having faced Santos in 1971.'
Streaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.
(Photo of Lionel Messi: Rich Storry / Getty Images)
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F. v Al Hilal - Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, 15:00 Group H: CF Pachuca v FC Salzburg - TQL Stadium, Cincinnati, 18:00 Group G: Al Ain FC v Juventus FC - Audi Field, Washington, D.C., 21:00 Thursday, 19 June Group A: SE Palmeiras v Al Ahly FC - MetLife Stadium, New York, New Jersey, 12:00 Group A: Inter Miami CF v FC Porto - Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, 15:00 Group B: Seattle Sounders FC v Atlético de Madrid - Lumen Field, Seattle, 15:00 Group B: Paris Saint-Germain v Botafogo - Rose Bowl Stadium, Los Angeles, 18:00 Friday, 20 June Group C: SL Benfica v Auckland City FC - Inter&Co Stadium, Orlando, 12:00 Group D: CR Flamengo v Chelsea FC - Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, 14:00 Group D: LAFC v Espérance - GEODIS Park, Nashville, 17:00 Group C: FC Bayern München v CA Boca Juniors - Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, 21:00 Saturday, 21 June Group F: Mamelodi Sundowns FC v Borussia Dortmund - TQL Stadium, Cincinnati, 12:00 Group E: FC Internazionale Milano v Urawa Red Diamonds - Lumen Field, Seattle, 12:00 Group F: Fluminense FC v Ulsan HD - MetLife Stadium, New York, New Jersey, 18:00 Group E: CA River Plate v CF Monterrey - Rose Bowl Stadium, Los Angeles, 18:00 Sunday, 22 June Group G: Juventus FC v Wydad AC - Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, 12:00 Group H: Real Madrid C. F. v CF Pachuca - Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, 15:00 Group H: FC Salzburg v Al Hilal - Audi Field, Washington, D.C., 18:00 Group G: Manchester City v Al Ain FC - Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, 21:00 Monday, 23 June Group B: Seattle Sounders FC v Paris Saint-Germain - Lumen Field, Seattle, 12:00 Group B: Atlético de Madrid v Botafogo - Rose Bowl Stadium, Los Angeles, 12:00 Group A: Inter Miami CF v SE Palmeiras - Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, 21:00 Group A: FC Porto v Al Ahly FC - MetLife Stadium, New York, New Jersey, 21:00 Tuesday, 24 June Group C: Auckland City FC v CA Boca Juniors - GEODIS Park, Nashville, 14:00 Group C: SL Benfica v FC Bayern München - Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, 15:00 Group D: LAFC v CR Flamengo - Camping World Stadium, Orlando, 21:00 Group D: Espérance v Chelsea FC - Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, 21:00 Wednesday, 25 June Group F: Borussia Dortmund v Ulsan HD - TQL Stadium, Cincinnati, 15:00 Group F: Mamelodi Sundowns FC v Fluminense FC - Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, 15:00 Group E: FC Internazionale Milano v CA River Plate - Lumen Field, Seattle, 18:00 Group E: Urawa Red Diamonds v CF Monterrey - Rose Bowl Stadium, Los Angeles, 18:00 Thursday, 26 June Group G: Juventus FC v Manchester City - Camping World Stadium, Orlando, 15:00 Group G: Wydad AC v Al Ain FC - Audi Field, Washington, D.C., 15:00 Group H: Al Hilal v CF Pachuca - GEODIS Park, Nashville, 20:00 Group H: FC Salzburg v Real Madrid C. 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