CHESTER, Pa. — The points were shared as Lionel Messi registered a goal and an assist in a 2-2 draw against the Philadelphia Union in a game that ended in chaos, as Cavan Sullivan and Yannick Bright were both red-carded, as these teams are incapable of playing normal soccer. When they last played, 10 goals were scored between the two teams, and this was another game of entertaining soccer for a multitude of reasons, and it’s a moment to step back and cherish what we see when Messi comes to town.When he plays, it’s always must-see soccer, and it’s been like that for two decades. From the moment that you realize that he’s coming to then trying to purchase tickets, you soon realize that they’re at least three to four times more than an average game (a friend was able to sell their tickets for $250 a pop when they cost $80 at face value). Then, when you make it to the stadium, around a sea of Messi shirts, the smell of delicious barbecue wafts around you. It’s a scene like no other and an event like no other to see the greatest player to ever do it.Even upon entering the stadium, while numbers have dwindled from when the Argentine entered the league, it’s clear who the people came to see in Chester.But at 39 years old, all the pomp does make one wonder how much more of the Messi show we’ll have in our backyards. The Union did their best to contain it, but as a mix of cheers and boos came out when Messi touched the ball on Wednesday, he was able to lay a beautiful cross off to Luis Suarez, who played it onto Daniel Pinter before putting the Herons ahead in the 26th minute with the same cutover goal that you’ve seen him score hundreds of times.
“It’s scary when Messi gets the ball in one-versus-one situations, but the guys stood up to that and had good recovery runs to make sure that wasn’t left for long,” Union interim manager Ryan Richter said. “They did a really good job at that. Of course, he gets the goal; I don’t know how he gets it out of his feet to find the finish, but that’s why he’s the greatest player ever because he doesn’t need space to find a goal.”
But what’s so impressive is that no matter how many times Messi registers a goal contribution, it doesn’t get old. The walking around the pitch to conserve energy and seek out his spots to make a defense pay doesn’t get annoying because you know that he’ll eventually turn that into a heat-seeking missile going at goal. One doesn’t score more than 900 career goals by accident, and…
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2026-08-20 14:41:02
