Photo by Hector Vivas/Getty Images
Bad news for fans hoping to see the GOAT in action.
Lionel Messi makes his debut for Inter Miami on Friday night, and it’s the most-hyped debut in the history of U.S. domestic soccer. Tickets have been sold out for weeks, and are fetching huge money on the secondary market, where the cheapest available tickets are up to $179 — soaring from their pre-Messi price of $29.
Naturally everyone is hyped to see one of the greatest of all time, and if you’re in an MLS city you’ve probably already looked for tickets to see when Inter Miami is visiting. Just one problem: You might not get to see him play at all if you live in at one of these MLS sites.
Gillette Stadium (New England Revolution)
Providence Park (Portland Timbers)
Lumen Field (Sounders FC)
Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte FC)
BC Place (Vancouver Whitecaps)
Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta United FC)
These are the six fields that currently use artificial turf rather than grass, and it’s reportedly a deal-breaker for Messi. The mega-star can call his own shots when it comes to playing comfort, and reportedly Inter Miami have told MLS that their new star will only play on traditional grass fields.
Naturally, this has led to outcry from fans and plenty of questions. As it stands teams are already trying to get ahead and inform fans of their plans ahead of scheduled matches against Inter Miami.
It doesn’t require fully tearing up and changing the playing surface, with traditional grass being able to be temporarily installed over the turf — but with some MLS fixtures taking place in the middle of the NFL season, some teams are already letting their intentions be known.
Atlanta United FC have already said they won’t install grass for Messi. The same is true of Charlotte FC — meaning no Messi in either city. The Sounders and Revolution both play in NFL stadiums as well (the Seahawks and Patriots, respectively), and neither have made a statement at this time on whether they will put in grass.
Players and fans have urged the Portland Timbers to make a switch to grass before Messi arrived, but it’s a complicated problem. Not only does heavy rainfall in the Pacific Northwest make traditional grass difficult to maintain, but the stadium location is on top of a creek bed. It would take a monumental amount of work to install grass, and would necessitate significant changes to the local geography.
That leaves BC Place in Vancouver, which HAS to switch to grass. It’s being used as a site for games in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with the tournament requiring every site to have natural grass. Plans were already underway to convert the stadium from turf in time for the cup, but it’s unclear if that timeline can be advanced at all to accommodate Messi. The team has yet to make a statement on Inter Miami games specifically.
It’s an unfortunate issue. There is no doubt that soccer is best played on natural grass and that players routinely complain that turf increases the risk of injury and a worse playing “feel,” however the varying climates and rainfalls in some of these cities can’t facilitate grass long-term. Sadly for fans in these cities, if they want to see Messi play they might need to book a plane ticket rather than wait to see him in their own backyard.
