The GOAT is coming to America.

Lionel Messi, arguably the greatest soccer player of all-time, on Wednesday said he plans to join Inter Miami CF of Major League Soccer during the summer transfer window. The move instantly makes Inter Miami the highest-profile team in the league with tickets sure to become a hot commodity. So, what does it mean for soccer fans in Colorado? 

Will Lionel Messi play in Colorado this year?

Unfortunately for soccer fans in Colorado, Lionel Messi will most likely not be playing in Colorado this season. The Colorado Rapids are not scheduled to face Inter Miami in MLS play in 2023 and would have to meet in a cup competition for that to happen.

Colorado has already been eliminated from the U.S. Open Cup, and currently sits in 13th out of 14 teams in the Western Conference standings, which makes it unlikely the Rapids will qualify for the MLS Cup playoffs with half the season left to play.

That leaves the Leagues Cup, a new midseason tournament between all MLS and Liga MX teams set to debut in July. Colorado and Inter Miami were drawn into opposite sides of the bracket and would only meet in the final if both reach it. Inter Miami was seeded higher than Colorado and therefore would host the match in that highly unlikely scenario.

The only scenario that sees Messi play in Colorado this season is if the Rapids get hot, make the playoffs, finish with a better record than Inter Miami, and host the Herons in MLS Cup Final. Miami is currently ranked 27th out of 29 MLS teams and Colorado is currently ranked 28th — and the Rapids are not adding Messi to their roster. 

What are the chances Lionel Messi will play in Colorado next season?

The 2024 MLS schedule has not yet been released. Inter Miami joined MLS in 2020 and are the only MLS team Colorado has never faced. Given that, it would seem likely that Colorado would be scheduled to play Inter Miami in 2024, but because it would be a non-conference game, it’s a coin flip whether it would be played in Colorado or South Florida.

Furthermore, history shows us that mega stars have had a tendency to skip the trip to Colorado. David Beckham regularly was ruled out of games in Commerce City due to minor injuries. Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez has been ruled out of games recently in Colorado. Maybe it’s the elevation, but for whatever reason, if stars have minor injuries, they seem to pick the Colorado trip as the one to skip.

MLS has reportedly made a number of concessions to Messi in order to close this deal, such as profit sharing with Apple TV and Adidas, and the possibility of acquiring an MLS franchise at this end of his career. It would make sense that all MLS teams are getting assurances that they’ll get to host the reigning World Cup champ in a home match at some point during his reported 2.5-year contract, but injuries can happen and nothing is a guarantee.

Where would the game be played if Lionel Messi played in Colorado?

The Rapids play their home games at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, located at 6000 Victory Way in Commerce City. The stadium holds about 18,000 fans and if you’re the Rapids, you’d have to consider moving the match to Empower Field at Mile High, given the demand for tickets.

What is the closest game to Colorado that Lionel Messi is expected to play in this season?

The earliest Messi could join Inter Miami is for the July 21 Leagues Cup match. The closest matches to Colorado after that are in Los Angeles against LAFC on Sept. 3 (1,016 miles), and in Chicago against Chicago Fire on Oct. 4 (1,004 miles).