Lionel Messi comes to TQL Stadium: 'The eyes of the world will be on Cincinnati'

Even by Lionel Messi's standards, the goal he scored against the Philadelphia Union was audacious.

Over most of the last two decades, Messi built a world-renowned goal-scoring acumen via finesse and accuracy, the result of which was 800-plus goals and counting. But on Aug. 15 at the Union's Subaru Park, he hit the ball more than 30 yards away from the goal in a stunning display of range and raw power.

The goalkeeper Messi dared to beat, Andre Blake, was widely considered the best in Major League Soccer. With Blake cheating to his right, Messi buried the ball in the furthest reach of the left-hand corner of the net.

With the ball rattling around in the back of the net and Blake helpless on the ground after an unsuccessful dive to stop the ball, Messi peeled off from his run and leapt with raised fists in a corner of the field. A great roar went up from the surrounding grandstands. Droves of Messi admirers were in attendance hoping to see the decorated, 36-year-old Argentine star produce one of his trademark moments of brilliance.

Messi obliged. The score was his ninth goal in six matches. This one came in the semifinal round of Leagues Cup. It signaled that Philadelphia, one of the models of MLS consistency in recent years, was in for a long night.

Messi's Inter Miami CF eventually romped to a 4-1 win. By Saturday, and with Messi scoring another wonder-goal at Nashville SC, Miami had won the entire Leagues Cup tournament.

Messi hadn't made a special example of Philadelphia and Nashville. Scenes of him rolling away on the field to celebrate big goals in the biggests matches became a commonplace sight this century. From UEFA Champions League finals with FC Barcelona to December's FIFA World Cup final in Qatar with Argentina, Messi's living legend is defined by the grace and ease with which he consistently delivers for his teams.

The soccer clubs of North America are just a new class of victim for Messi. He scored 10 goals in seven matches and exited the tournament with a winner's medal around his neck, marking the 44th championship of his storied career. Messi's influence on the fledgling Leagues Cup tournament was immediate, and it stunned even his biggest supporters.

Now, Messi and his Miami circus are coming to Cincinnati with another trophy in mind.

On Wednesday, MLS-leading FC Cincinnati hosts Miami at TQL Stadium for a semifinal in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. It's FC Cincinnati's second-ever cup semifinal, and the most legitimate push for a championship the club has ever mustered.

But Messi has shifted his sights to the U.S. Open Cup, too. FC Cincinnati is the next club he aims to take down in front of a broadcast audience that will stretch around the globe.

“If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best. That is always true,” FC Cincinnati President Jeff Berding said. “I think it’s true that every time you lace up your boots and step out on the pitch you're going to have to compete. Every match in this league is a battle and I take some solace in the fact that if we finish out this season where we earn some trophies, we can look at each other and say ‘guess what? We won the league or won the cup in a year that Lionel Messi, maybe the greatest ever, played in MLS. We competed against him.’ That allows for more pride and more respect.”

The confluence of star power and high stakes make Wednesday the biggest match in FC Cincinnati history and the club's general manager, Chris Albright, shared Berding’s zest for opposing Messi with a championship on the line.

"It’s pretty damn fun that Messi’s coming to play at TQL Stadium," Albright told The Enquirer. "It’s cool. It’s f****** awesome."

How did we get to Messi playing at TQL Stadium?

While first-place FC Cincinnati was tearing through MLS foes in the spring and early summer months, it also took the Open Cup by storm, defeating its first four opponents in the competition to reach the semifinal round. It put on a show in its quarterfinal win against lower-league Pittsburgh Riverhounds, winning 4-1 with highlight-reel goals.

Meanwhile, Miami languished in the MLS regular season, dropping to last place. But the David Beckham-backed franchise found new life in the Open Cup as it survived to the semifinal round with wins against lower-league opponents in three of its first four Open Cup games.

Then, Messi and a few of his old friends showed up.

In June, Messi’s move to MLS was confirmed after he’d played in Europe for most of the last two decades. He passed on a reported offer in excess of $1 billion to join the Saudi Pro League. MLS put forth a lucrative deal to Messi, which reportedly included a cut from Apple and Adidas, two of the league’s biggest partners and sponsors.

"I think we all agree that Lionel Messi is a different caliber or player and personality," Berding said during a Friday interview. "He’s come off a season where he was the best player in the world. He won the (Ballon d’Or), leading his country to a FIFA World Cup title. Clearly, he’s already had an impact in Leagues Cup… The most popular athlete in the world has come to Major League Soccer. He’s certainly proven that he’s still playing at the highest of high levels.

"For Messi to not only give that credibility by coming here, again, where he’s still playing at a top, top level, that will help with the recruitment of other great players, which is already happening."

Miami’s ownership group then started to build around Messi. They lured Sergio Busquets, a 35-year-old and longtime Messi teammate from their Barcelona days. Spanish international Jordi Alba signed on for Miami, too.

Before Miami's sweeping roster overhaul, a random drawing conducted by the U.S. Soccer Federation had already matched the clubs as opponents for the semifinal. That set Greater Cincinnati on the collision course with Messi.

Messi debuted for Miami July 21 in the first Leagues Cup match against Mexican powerhouse, Cruz Azul. Naturally, Messi punctuated his debut with a late, game-winning, free-kick goal.

Like the Open Cup, Leagues Cup doesn’t count toward the regular season standings. But what it did do was reinvigorate last-place Miami, which is now rolling into Cincinnati on the heels of its first-ever championship and is expected to push hard for the MLS Cup playoffs when it resumes regular season play.

Like the club's top executives, FC Cincinnati's players expressed their eagerness to play against the new-look Miami team. Even after a deflating loss to archrival Columbus Crew on Sunday, Brandon Vazquez smirked with anticipation when prompted about Wednesday's game.

"It's gonna be a tough game Wednesday but at TQL, anything is possible," Brandon Vazquez told reporters on Sunday. "I want to be the first ones to beat them in (this) era. I think it'd be a perfect night to do it at TQL."

What fans can expect inside TQL Stadium?

Like other MLS venues have done for Messi's visits, FC Cincinnati will enforce an existing rule in TQL Stadium's Bailey supporters section that bars individuals from wearing opposition jerseys and other merchandise, a team spokesman confirmed to The Enquirer.

Staffers near The Bailey in the north end of the stadium might have their hands full attempting to net all of Messi’s fans.

On Aug. 15, street vendors near Subaru Park walked through lanes bumper-to-bumper traffic. They hawked what appeared to be pink knockoff Miami jerseys with “MESSI” and his No. 10 printed on the back. There were also Miami-themed bucket hats bearing Messi’s likeness.

As a sign of Messi’s global reach as an Argentinian who mostly played in Spain followed by a recent shorter stint in France, standing-room-only sections of Subaru Park were choked with Messi jerseys of all varieties. In some areas, Messi shirts were five and six deep as fans craned and maneuvered to catch a glimpse of the greatest player of all-time, or “GOAT” – the acronym that’s become synonymous with Messi in soccer circles.

Not surprisingly, FC Cincinnati is bracing for the potential of a club-record ticket usage rate on Wednesday. But unlike the Union, FCC won't be selling standing-room tickets for the semifinal.

"These are the moments that made people fall in love with FC Cincinnati before they even knew who we were. It's like the Crystal Palace match (in 2016). This is one of those nights," said FCC's Vice President of Sales and Ticketing, Jeff Smith. "We want the people that are there to have an unparalleled fan experience. We want those people walking out of that stadium saying that was the most incredible soccer experience ever."

Some fans opted to cash-in on the match by selling their tickets on the secondary market.

Albright wasn’t critical of those that opted to sell their tickets but suggested fans consider the spectacle they might miss by selling.

"When you die, are you gonna think about all the things you didn’t buy or all the places you didn’t go?," Albright said. "And for five grand, when you’re 85 years old, are you gonna be like ‘I got $5,000 for those tickets, son. It was the most amazing $5,000 I ever got.’ You know, you’re not. You’re gonna say, 'I was at the game. I was a supporter of FC Cincinnati and I got to watch them play one of the greatest players that the sport’s ever produced.

“It’s kind of about where you go and not what you get.”

Security-wise, FC Cincinnati will be ready to host Messi, Berding added.

Without disclosing the details of FCC's heightened security arrangements, Berding said FC Cincinnati conferred with FC Dallas about its experience hosting Miami and Messi Aug. 6 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.

"We'll be prepared to put on a great event that provides safety for everyone that's coming into the building," Berding said.

All eyes on Cincinnati, TQL Stadium – again

Before this summer, FC Cincinnati versus Messi in a cup semifinal match was something you could only realize in a video game. Now that it's actually here, it's better than anything you could have concocted on your gaming console.

It's real, and Messi is still at the height of his powers in the soccer world. TQL Stadium is no stranger to hosting marquee events and world-renowned players but it's never seen anything like that.

Across the venue, TQL Stadium will be in rare form.

On Aug. 15, the Union maxed out the capacity of their regular press box. They then utilized an auxiliary media tribune in a club section of the stadium for 36 additional media members. Dozens of additional media covered the match at field level.

FC Cincinnati boasts a larger press box and is expecting a robust assortment of local, national, and international media outlets for Wednesday’s match.

"I see it as an opportunity," Albright said. "We get the best player in the world. We get to showcase our city and our stadium and facilities to a broader audience. I think it’s a great opportunity for our players to play against some of the world’s best players ever."

FC Cincinnati also worked for weeks to secure a linear TV simulcast of CBS Sports Golazo Network's streaming coverage on local TV (Star64) - a development that was announced Monday. The move is considered a big win for local viewers that might have otherwise been unfamiliar with the streaming service.

More: FC Cincinnati-Inter Miami Open Cup match simulcast to air on local TV

The Golazo Network should also get some increased visibility in the Cincinnati market via the Star64 broadcast.

This won't be the last time FC Cincinnati faces Messi. It won't even by the last time this season. Cincinnati travels to play at Miami for the penultimate match of the regular season - a game that could be hugely consequential to both teams.

It's hard to imagine a scenario with more drama, more starpower on both teams and higher stakes than the Cincinnati scene the soccer world will focus on for roughly two hours Wednesday night.

“The eyes of the world will be on Cincinnati,” Berding said. "I have confidence in our group, the quality of the players and what we've shown all year. The game day environment at TQL Stadium - it's a fortress for FC Cincinnati with an atmosphere that helps us finish out matches and get great results. We're going to get a firsthand view of that against the best and his team on Wednesday night.

"My expectation is it will be a hell of a match. May the best side win and advance. I'm quite confident to let the players and our coaches settle things for us."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Lionel Messi comes to TQL Stadium to face FC Cincinnati in US Open Cup