Lionel Messi: Chicago offers fans incentive amid injury doubt - ESPN

Lionel Messi may not be at Soldier Field on Wednesday. The Chicago Fire hope their fans are.

Mindful that 61,000 fans bought tickets for the Major League Soccer match at Soldier Field — many of them likely expecting to see the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner and World Cup champion on the field for Inter Miami — the Fire are making fans an offer to show up whether Messi plays or not.

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The incentive: a $250 account credit «toward new memberships for the 2024 season — or a $50 account credit for anyone unable to use the new member credit — to all single-game ticket buyers who attend our match vs. Inter Miami regardless of which players are able to make an appearance on the pitch.»

«While we don't yet know the official status of Lionel Messi's availability for our match tomorrow, as there's never a guarantee that an athlete will play on any given night due to several factors, we understand that many of our fans may be disappointed if they don't get the chance to see him play,» the Fire said Tuesday in a news release.

«We realize that there will be many in attendance who are coming to a Chicago Fire match at Soldier Field for the first time, and we're excited to welcome them to the Fire Family and give them an opportunity to become long-term fans by creating a wonderful, fan-focused atmosphere.»

It should be a record-setting crowd for Chicago; the team lists its Soldier Field record as 41,000, set in 1997. It has averaged about 14,000 fans for matches at Soldier Field this season.

Messi was on the practice field for some of Inter Miami's workout on Tuesday, though it remains unclear when or if he play with the team again this season. Inter Miami coach Gerardo «Tata» Martino