Messi, Inter Miami v Nashville in decisive Champions Cup leg

Finally, after nine road trips covering 23,260 miles, Inter Miami will play its first home game of the year on Wednesday, and it is a big one.

Lionel Messi and his teammates face Nashville SC in the second and decisive leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16 following a scoreless tie in the first leg last week in Nashville.

The game will be played in Fort Lauderdale at Inter Miami Stadium (formerly Chase Stadium), as Nu Stadium at Miami Freedom Park is not scheduled to open until April 4. The home crowd may get to see Messi reach a career milestone, as he is one goal shy of No. 900.

Messi and Rodrigo De Paul will be rested after skipping the league road game at Charlotte FC over the weekend, which also ended in a scoreless tie.

Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano explained on Tuesday that he left Messi and De Paul at home to give them a breather after so many road games in a row and took it into account that Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte has artificial turf.

“It was a decision we made in conjunction with them, it was on a synthetic field, which is always more complicated, so we preferred for them to avoid the trip after they have been traveling so much for the past month and a half,” Mascherano said. “We also rested some players who did travel but played limited minutes.”

Mascherano and his players welcome a chance to play in front of a home crowd on Wednesday (7 p.m., FS1).

“Playing in our stadium with our fans will be an advantage for us,” Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano said. “We know we are stronger at home. I urge the fans to come because it is a very important match and we need their support to advance in this series, which is so even, not just in the score but the level at which both teams are playing right now.”

It will be the 21st time the clubs face each other since they debuted in MLS in 2020. They are each other’s most familiar foe. It is the ninth time they meet in a knockout tournament.

Miami and Nashville have played in MLS regular season games, playoff games, the U.S. Open Cup, the Leagues Cup and the Champions Cup. Inter Miami holds the edge in the series with nine wins. Nashville has won five times, and the teams tied the other six.

Last season, Inter Miami won four of five against Nashville, including a 4-0 rout that advanced the team to the knockout round of the MLS playoffs for the first time in club history.

Nashville clashes usually bring out the best in Messi, who has scored 15 goals in their 11 meetings, the most against any opponent since he joined the league in the summer of 2023. But the Argentine icon was held scoreless last Wednesday.

Nashville was also held scoreless, largely due to several spectacular saves by Dayne St. Clair, the 2025 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year, who joined Inter Miami this season. It took him some time to get acclimated to his new team after eight years with Minnesota United.

“I definitely feel more comfortable than the beginning; I wish I had adapted a little quicker than I did, but now I feel comfortable and having a performance like that in the first leg…keeping a clean sheet [Wednesday] will be a big priority for us, so I’m feeling ready and up for the challenge.”

Nashville coach B.J. Callaghan said he relishes the challenge of facing Inter Miami.

“I think we’ve played each other six of the last 10 games if you go back to last year, or something like that, so, I’m sure they’re sick of watching video of us,” Callaghan said. “But we have great respect for them. When we have to prepare for them, whether that’s regular season games, playoff games, now Concacaf Champions Cup, doing that work and competing makes us better.”

Containing Messi and Miami’s other top attackers is obviously a top priority, Callaghan said.

“They’re a highly talented team that can score; so, first and foremost is making sure we keep their chances limited and trying to keep them off the scoreboard the best we can,” he said. “Also, we have to be a little more clinical, better decision making. When you play really good teams, you’ve got to seize your moments.”

Mascherano admits he deserved red card

Mascherano, candid as always, said on Tuesday that he deserved the red card he received in the closing minutes of the game at Charlotte. He admitted that he let his emotions get the best of him.

“When the first yellow came out, I was giving a gesture to one of my players, I wasn’t protesting anything to the referee,” he explained. “Clearly, I was wrong. I was outside the technical area. Oftentimes, matches are going at 1,000 miles per hour. I do not justify my behavior. When I’m wrong, I’m the first to admit it.

“The team was playing very well, I didn’t want the game to escape us, especially with so many players making their debuts, and I was trying to help. I made a mistake. I hope it won’t happen again, but surely it will because of [how passionate] I am about football. The rest [taunting the Charlotte fans as he exited] is a bit of folklore. People were insulting me, we Argentines like that, but with respect for everything. In the end, we are people. Blood runs through our veins, but if there’s anyone who shouldn’t lose control it’s me. How can you ask players to not control if you’re the first to lose it?”

This story was originally published March 17, 2026 at 3:45 PM.