Messi and Company Shine at World Soccer Masters Match in Miami

You couldn’t be blamed for thinking the Argentinean national team or FC Barcelona was playing on Saturday night in Miami. The distinctive colors of the Albiceleste and Blaugrana jerseys dominated the color palette filling the orange seats at Sun Life Stadium on an overcast night in South Florida. 

The most prevalent name and number on the back of those jerseys was that of Messi and his No. 10.

Although the crowd wasn’t as significant as the record one that saw Barcelona take on Chivas in this stadium last summer, it was no less enthusiastic for the arrival of Lionel Messi (who missed last summer’s Miami friendly) and the roster of international stars in this first-of-its-kind exhibition match.

Walking out onto the field through a smokescreen entrance, the loudest cheers were reserved for the South American stars—Radamel Falcao, Diego Forlan, Javier Mascherano, and Dani Alves feeling the love from the sizable contingents of Colombian, Uruguayan, Argentinean and Brazilian fans.

Apocalyptic scenes temporarily upstaged the festival of football five minutes after kickoff. A deluge seized the stadium, sending a good portion of those previously zealous fans scurrying for cover. The advertising boards collapsed along the side of the pitch. Trash from sideline VIP tables blew across the finely manicured lawn.

The players did their best to overcome the conditions as the game predictably opened up. Messi benefited from his countryman Ezequiel Lavezzi’s dummy play to curl a left-footed shot into the top left corner for the opening goal.

Luis Suarez, Uruguay and Liverpool’s prolific striker, equalized for the red “Stars” squad with a smart touch past José Manuel Pinto in goal merely a minute later.

The most stylish goal of the night perhaps fell to Didier Drogba, who was on the end of a string of passes started by Messi charging into the “Stars” box.  Drawing several defenders, Messi then released Lavezzi on the left who crossed to the wide-open former Chelsea striker.

The second half was more of a showcase of skills. Luis Suarez added two clever goals in quick succession shortly after the break. Messi dazzled with shovel passes over the head of defenders two feet in front of him. Roma’s Argentine forward, Pablo Daniel Oswaldo, put together a neat sequence of step overs.

Fittingly, Messi ended the night as he began it, bringing the ball onto his favored left foot and lashing it beyond the reach of Memo Ochoa in the 84th minute to complete a hat trick. 

Two late penalties knotted the final score at seven apiece and the poncho-clad crowd sang and applauded their national heroes off the pitch.

The weather could have been better, the defending as well, but in a grueling season short on opportunities of genuine respite, this may be the closest thing to a break for Barça’s maestro.

Perhaps lost in the furor of his historic goal-scoring season was the fact that Messi, between La Liga, Copa del Rey, Champions League, World Club Cup and international duty, played in over 60 games last year. 

Yet he still finds time to participate in these matches, raising funds and awareness for several charitable causes.