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Messi to play in Minnesota? A soccer fan’s dream closer to reality

Andy Greder, Pioneer Press
·2 min read

When Lionel Messi jolted the soccer world by joining Inter Miami in July, the first chance to see the greatest current player live in Minnesota appeared to be during the 2024 MLS regular season — if the schedule broke Minnesota United’s way.

Now it might happen Aug. 19 in St. Paul.

The Loons and Miami have both advanced to the quarterfinals of the ongoing Leagues Cup competition, and if the clubs each win two more matches, Messi and Co. would travel to Allianz Field to play the Loons in the final of the new North American tournament. Or possibly the third-place match.

But the two clubs are not on a clear collision course. For starters, their winding paths begin on other sides of the bracket.

First, MNUFC must beat favored Nashville on the road on Friday night. Then the Loons will have to face a North American titan — either Los Angeles FC or Monterrey — in a semifinal. Those two sides square off in a quarterfinal Friday at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.

Messi — who is tied with MNUFC winger Bongi Hlongwane as the tournament’s leading scorer (seven goals apiece) — will need to lead Miami to a quarterfinal win against underdog Charlotte on Friday. Then Miami will need to come out victorious against either the well-respected Philadelphia Union and Cinderella side Queretaro of Mexico. Those two clubs play each other in a quarterfinal.

The Loons would host Miami in that improbable final because Minnesota finished ahead of Miami’s Messi-less squad in the 2022 MLS Supporters’ Shield standings. A year ago, MNUFC finished 20th; Miami ended up in last place (29th).

On two occasions, the Loons have nearly hosted Mexican giants Club America, only to see another opponent come on the schedule (Columbus and Nashville) instead of the hugely popular club from Mexico City.

A lot must still transpire for Messi to visit Minnesota, but there is a much clearer path than there was six weeks ago.

Loons’ free agents

The MLS Players Association released a list Wednesday of the pending free agents after the 2023 season.

Five current Loons were listed.

The most-important player is center back Michael Boxall, a backline rock for the team since 2017. Boxy is under a club option for 2024, but the club negotiated new deals with the New Zealander in 2019 and 2021, and it’s possible MNUFC looks to lock him into a new contract before the current regular season ends in mid-October.

The rest of the list includes captain defensive midfielder Wil Trapp (out of contract), backup fullback Zarek Valentin (option), reserve center back Brent Kallman of Woodbury (out of contract) and third-string goalkeeper Eric Dick (option).

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