A Chicago Fire record crowd of 62,358 watched Lionel Messi and Inter Miami draw 0-0 at Soldier Field on 13 April 2025.
The attendance passed Chicago’s previous mark, also set for a visit from Miami, while Javier Mascherano said Messi was changing how the world viewed MLS.
Brady and Ustari protect the clean sheets
Messi tested Chris Brady from distance in the fourth minute and struck the frame of the goal with a late free-kick. Brady made three saves to record Chicago’s first clean sheet of the season.
Oscar Ustari was busier at the other end. The Miami goalkeeper stopped seven shots, including two late efforts from Jonathan Bamba, as both teams pushed for a winner.
Messi lifts Chicago to another attendance record
The Fire’s previous home record was 62,124 for a 4-1 win over Miami in October 2023. Messi missed that game, but his presence still drew the crowd.
Mascherano said the attention around Messi had created a responsibility for the league to keep developing.
“He is changing the way the world sees MLS,” Mascherano said in remarks translated by Goal.
Miami remain unbeaten after seven matches
Mascherano described Chicago as a difficult opponent and praised his players for chasing the win until the end.
The point left Inter Miami unbeaten through seven league games, with four wins and three draws. Chicago could not turn the historic crowd into a victory, but the afternoon showed the scale of Messi’s effect on the league.
