Jam-packed Allianz Field gets to see Lionel Messi score, Loons beat Miami
Hours before the Minnesota United took the field against Inter Miami, fans were forming a line around Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minn., as the long-awaited chance to catch global star Lionel Messi finally arrived to Minnesotans on Saturday afternoon.
The 19,710 fans in attendance both got to see Messi score and the Loons get a win as Bongli Hlongwane, Anthony Markanich and Robin Lod scored while Miami gave up an own goal in a 4-1 Minnesota victory. The attendance was just a bit shy of the Allianz Field record of 19,954 set against LAFC in 2023, per the Pioneer Press' Andy Greder.
Messi, a World Cup champion with Argentina, former star for Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain and arguably the greatest soccer player of all time, came over to the United States to play for Miami in MLS in 2023, but the club didn't have Minnesota on the schedule in 2023 or 2024. When the 2025 slate was revealed, May 10 was the date that fans circled on their calendars as Messi would finally make his way to Minnesota.
The excitement to catch the 37-year-old Argentinian star was evident immediately. Ticket prices for the game skyrocketed months prior, a regular occurrence for Miami road games, even prompting some teams to opt for larger venues. Those eager to see Messi in person got rewarded Saturday, and those who shelled out big money for tickets could breathe a sigh of relief when Messi was announced in Miami's starting XI.
Fellow star athletes also flocked to Allianz Field by the droves, including Minnesota Vikings star receiver Justin Jefferson and running back Aaron Jones and Minnesota Wild star Kirill Kaprizov. If the Minnesota Twins weren't hosting the San Francisco Giants and the Minnesota Timberwolves didn't have a playoff game against the Golden State Warriors, one could only imagine how many others would be among the crowd.
The energy in the jam-packed stadium was palpable as it got going on Saturday and fans got to see the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner in action. It couldn't have worked out better for the raucous crowd, which got to see Messi score and the Loons win.
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