Messi Mania Came to North Texas and Lived Up to the Hype with a Dramatic Victory

As it turns out, one can mess with Texas. Or to be more accurate, one can Messi with Texas.

For the better part of the Sunday night Leagues Cup match against Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami squad, FC Dallas not only looked like the better team, but it had the score on their side to prove it. As it turned out, the Argentine superstar’s goal in the match’s early minutes was only a preview of some rather dramatic coming attractions.

A sublime Messi free kick in the 80th minute resulted in an FC Dallas player heading the ball into his own goal to bring the score to 4-3. An even more sublime Messi free kick goal from just outside the penalty box in the 85th minute tied the match at 4-4. The sport’s most dominant star did what he has done for so many years and what he’s paid so many millions to do still: dominate and lead his team to victory.

At the end of regulation time, it felt inevitable that Messi and Miami would squeak out the victory, which they did after besting FC Dallas 5-3 in the penalty shootout.

The eyes of the soccer world were on Frisco Sunday night, and let’s be clear: When the eyes of the soccer world gaze upon anything, that means the eyes of the entire world are doing so. Soccer is the indisputable sport of the globe, and Messi is its unquestioned king. But it’s not the first time the 36-year-old, seven-time Ballon d’Or Winner has played in North Texas. Messi and the Argentina national team played to a 2-2 draw against the Mexican national team in 2015 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington in front of more than 82,000. Messi scored a dramatic, late goal then, too, because he's, you know, Messi.

Sunday night wasn’t his first trip here, and there were far fewer people in the stands, but it was his biggest North Texas visit simply because things are markedly different for His Highness now. In 2015 Messi lived in a realm where his GOAT status was very much in question by millions of fans. Eight years ago, he was locked in a near neck-and-neck battle with Portugal’s golden god Christiano Ronaldo for top status. And unlike soccer luminaries such as Brazil's Pelé and fellow Argentine Diego Maradona, Messi had never brought the World Cup home to South America.

Of course, Messi kept scoring goals and winning trophies, and finally, just before Christmas 2022, he heroically led Argentina to a breathtaking victory in the World Cup final against France, putting an end to any debate as to who sits on soccer’s grandest throne. As newsworthy as that triumph was, Messi arguably made even more headlines in the U.S. than he had before when he signed with Inter Miami in July.

“He [Lionel Messi] hasn't done a whole lot or had the ball a lot, but when he has, it’s been amazing.” – FC Dallas fan during Sunday night's match against Inter Miami.

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That’s why Sunday night was different. The World Cup title and Messi’s high level of play since moving to Miami a few weeks ago have created a pro soccer buzz rarely felt in America, let alone Texas. Previous European heroes to join MLS typically did so when their stars, and skills, had somewhat diminished. Messi’s have not.

This was for one game only, and it was played in a stadium that holds barely more than 20,000. To compare, Taylor Swift’s recent swing through North Texas had everyone, rightfully so, in a tizzy. But she performed three consecutive nights to more than 200,000 people in all, 10 times the total that got to see Messi this weekend. There was a reason ticket prices for the match were soaring past the $1,000 mark on the secondary market before kickoff.

For their part, FC Dallas fans showed up to cheer on their club, regardless of any icon on the opposing side. About an hour before kickoff, it seemed as though the red and white jerseys of FC Dallas might outnumber the pink and black Miami jerseys and the classic Carolina blue striped jerseys of Messi’s Argentina club. But by game time, it was clear which side had the merch money of the majority of those in attendance. To their credit, however, the home team supporters were energetic and vocal, and even with the many “Messi, Messi” chants, the match never felt like the Miami home game the way many local fans thought it might.

To be sure, Toyota Stadium and FC Dallas have hosted their share of highlights over the years. The former Dallas Burn have been a consistent contender in Major League Soccer for the past decade, winning plenty more playoff matches in recent memory than the Dallas Cowboys. Local stars like Ricardo Pepi and Jesus Ferreira have become mainstays of the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team.

The Frisco stadium has hosted plenty of futbol legends in the past. International titans including Inter Miami’s owner David Beckham, Mexico’s Chicharito, France’s Thierry Henry and Sweden’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic have drawn North Texas soccer enthusiasts a few exits up past Ikea in recent years.


Unlike some of the other major North Texas sporting squads who have had recent national exposure (see: TCU football's humiliating loss in the National Championship game in January or the Dallas Stars getting shut out in Game 6 of the NHL Western Conference Finals in May), FC Dallas acquitted themselves well, even as they fell short of the win. The local club controlled the tempo and possession for much of the match, and Argentinian FC Dallas man Alan Velasco, one of the most exciting young players in MLS, performed superbly in front of his idol, scoring in the 63rd minute a highlight reel-worthy goal from a distance that was, well, very Messi-esque.

But again, last night was just different.

“He hasn't done a whole lot or had the ball a lot, but when he has, it’s been amazing,” said one dad to his grade school-age son near us shortly after the second half began. He was right. Miami didn’t need to be the better team for much of the match. Messi’s powerful presence, legendary creativity and surgeon-like precision means he only needs a few key moments to achieve the desired result.

It’s been nearly 60 years since the Beatles played their only Dallas concert, and it’s been just shy of 30 years since the Cotton Bowl hosted a few World Cup matches. For one night in Frisco, of all places, it felt like we got to experience the frenzy, excellence and possible historical significance of both of those singular events in one, blazing hot night thanks to Messi Mania.