Messi always liked to score against his teams’ big rivals. Now, right after his debut in Miami, he has the opportunity to start doing it against his opponents in the state of Florida, Orlando City. Both teams met in the round of 32 of the Leagues Cup and thus Messi will play his first ‘derby’ on American soil.
The clubs from the Sunshine State will meet this Thursday at 02:00 a.m. Spanish peninsular time at the DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, the home of Inter Miami. Lionel Messi, after making his debut with a dream goal at the last minute and scoring a double in his second game, still has fresh ink to continue writing the script for his new film in Miami.
For him the only new thing will be the rival, nothing can surprise a star who has gone through the biggest stages of world football. His record in derbies is more than remarkable: he stands as the top scorer in the history of the Barcelona derby, in which he celebrated 25 goals against Espanyol.
And although in Paris, in the absence of a rival in the city, he could not open a new account, in Miami the doors are already open for him to do so. Inter is looking for the first title in its history, which Messi could achieve with just 7 games played in his new team, but first they must eliminate Los Leones de Orlando.
This is not a historic derby, what’s more, it has barely managed to carve out a space among the biggest rivalries in the North American league. A decade ago neither of the two teams played in the MLS, while Florida demanded the presence of soccer in its lands, after the fleeting passage of the Miami Fusion between 1998 and 2001 in a league where it did not find its place.
For 13 years, he missed the ball rolling in the Sunshine State, one of the places with the largest Latino presence in the United States. MLS soccer returned to Florida in 2015, with the entry of Orlando City, which had to wait five years to find its greatest adversary, when Inter Miami came into action in 2020.
Since then a rivalry was born that over the years has gained strength, despite not being one of the best known in the league. Without going any further, the arrival of Lionel Messi has meant a new chapter for the hostility between the fans of the teams. Last week, a group of Orlando City fans vandalized a mural in honor of the Argentine, staining it with purple paint, the club’s signature color.
The record in this derby is unfavorable for Inter Miami, which has won only three games against Orlando’s five wins and three draws. In addition, it will not be the first time that they meet in a direct elimination duel, since in 2022 Orlando eliminated Miami on penalties in the round of 16 of the US Open Cup.
A blank page is already waiting to be filled when the magic of Lionel Messi begins to amaze in this new derby. In front stands an Orlando City that does not want to be a spectator of the Argentine’s ‘show’, which will seek to make history in this rivalry, as it already did in Barcelona.
