Dallas Beats Messi and Inter Miami at the Cotton Bowl

More than 32,000 fans attended Monday's soccer match at the Cotton Bowl on what was a hazy, cold and wet night. Some may have called it messy. This was the second time in six months that Lionel Messi, the captain of the reigning World Cup Champion team Argentina and eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, has played in Dallas.

Messi and his squad were donning black kits with Barbie-pink trim, and the mania was real: even a Dallas cop got caught up in the moment. While in the tunnel a DPD officer tried to take a selfie with the footballer and quickly got handled by team personnel.

Unlike his first visit, Messi didn't score this time, but flashes of brilliance gave the crowd plenty to get excited about, including almost scoring an Olimpico at the 8-minute mark. He had three shots on goal and played 60 minutes.

FC Dallas' Jesus Ferreira scored the only goal of the match at the 2:45 mark. Unfortunately, the Colombia native, who moved to Dallas when he was 10 years old, left the match in the first half with an apparent leg injury. After that initial goal, most of the action was on Miami's side of the pitch.

Messi almost just scored an olimpico pic.twitter.com/m76qOWz5UM

— Garrett Melcer (@GarrettMelcer) January 22, 2024

Hunt Touts Big Signing

Before the match, FC Dallas president Dan Hunt spoke to reporters about the significance of playing at the Cotton Bowl.

"Obviously FC Dallas started here," Hunt said. "I remember sitting in the stands with my mom and dad watching matches here. I think my dad was one of the first season ticket holders of FC Dallas. (...) watching those games here, SMU played here at a point and obviously the history of this stadium with Doak Walker is so important, but we have a gigantic fan base in this part of town.

Teasing a big signing, Hunt hopes to have more news about the team before the season starts.

"We are looking for a major acquisition here," Hunt says of an imminent team acquisition. "Could be the highest dollar spent amount ever in the history of FC Dallas for a player. That's what we're talking about right now. Alan Velasco was the high watermark for the club at this point. Inbound, which was $8 million. So we're looking at a player to surpass that potentially."

Omar Gonzalez made his hometown debut on Monday. After the game, the Dallas native said it was a dream come true to be with the club.

"I am very speechless and emotional to be back on the field and home with my family," Gonzalez said. "Playing in this stadium especially brings a lot of memories and happiness as it was nothing but great experiences that remind me of my childhood."

A Chilly Night for Soccer in Dallas

Despite the "friendly" preseason match, three Miami players – Tomas Aviles, Jordi Alba and Julian Gressel – received yellow cards during the match.

Many in the crowd gave up on the miserable weather and headed home after Messi walked off the field with a few minutes left in the game.

Both teams are headed out of the country now. Inter Miami plays in Saudi Arabia on Monday, Jan. 29, then against Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr on Feb. 2. FC Dallas is headed to Spain to play the Spanish national team on Feb. 2, and the weather will likely be a bit more pleasant. FC Dallas' home opener is Saturday, Feb. 24, against the San Jose Earthquakes.

Below are some photos from Monday's match.