Messi, Inter Miami face LAFC on Wednesday in Champions Cup quarterfinal. What you should know

Miami Herald

01-04-2025

Café Bustelo is one of Inter Miami's sponsors, and fans may want to drink a cup of Cuban coffee Wednesday night to make sure they are awake to watch the road game against Los Angeles FC in the first leg of their Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal.
It is a highly anticipated matchup that kicks off at 11:30 p.m. Eastern time. Fans will be able to watch the game in English on FS1 and in Spanish on TUDN and ViX+.
Any time a Miami team faces an L.A. team, it is bound to be a glitzy affair with celebrity spectators, and this one is no exception.
The sport's biggest star, Inter Miami captain Lionel Messi, draws crowds wherever he goes. He returned from an adductor injury last Saturday in the second half against the Philadelphia Union and scored the game-winning goal two minutes after entering the game. He made the trip to Los Angeles and is expected to play.
'Our plan was to play [Messi] for 30 or 35 minutes and not take any risks playing him 90 minutes,' coach Javier Mascherano said after the win over Philadelphia. 'The minutes that he played, he felt good, and he got to play 45 minutes with the stoppage time, so that was good for him.'
Defender Tomas 'Toto' Aviles added: 'We already know the difference he makes. The instant he enters, the game changes.'
Inter Miami is unbeaten through nine MLS and Champions Cup games in Mascherano's debut season. The team has eight wins, one tie, and is riding a seven-game win streak.
Miami and LAFC play the second leg of the series at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale on April 9. The winner of the home-and-home series advances to meet either Vancouver Whitecaps or Pumas UNAM in the semifinals of the tournament.
LAFC made the Champions Cup finals in 2020 and 2023 and beat the Columbus Crew 4–2 on aggregate in the Round of 16 last month. Denis Bouanga, the MLS Golden Boot winner in 2023 and co-runner-up with Messi and Luis Suarez last season, scored three of L.A.'s four goals against the Crew.
Bouanga, a native of France who represents Gabon internationally, earned the Champions Cup Golden Boot and Best XI honors in the 2023 tournament.
Despite a roster that includes Bouanga, and French World Cup stars Olivier Giroud and Hugo Lloris, LAFC has been inconsistent so far this year. They have won just two of their previous six games, and one of them was against last place Sporting Kansas City.
They are coming off a 3-2 road loss at expansion team San Diego FC. Over the past five matches, L.A. has scored five goals and allowed 11.
'We showed a side of us that we've also shown in other games in the season, and it's a little too timid and passive, with some negative body language, negative passing structure, which we don't want to see,' LAFC coach Steve Cherundolo said Saturday night. 'It's certainly things we don't actively train and ask our players to do. And when we do that, we look sluggish. When we're aggressive and we are confident and play how we want to play and stay connected, I think we're quite dangerous and very good.'
Messi Bodyguard No Longer on Sideline
Lionel Messi's personal bodyguard Yassine Cheuko, who seemed to get more field time than some of Messi's teammates as he chased down selfie-seeking pitch invaders, is no longer on the sideline during games.
The club confirmed that MLS and team security measures were deemed sufficient and there was no need for personal bodyguards on the sideline. Chueko still works for Inter Miami and is around the club facilities, but he will not be on the field for games.
In an interview with social media channel House of Highlights, Cheuko said: 'I was in Europe for seven years working for Ligue I and the Champions League and only six people invaded the pitch. I arrived in the United States, and in 20 months of work, 16 people have already invaded the pitch. There's a huge problem here. I'm not the problem. Let me help Messi.
'I love MLS and Concacaf, but we have to work together.'