February 20 – Major League Soccer (MLS) Supporter’s Shield holders, Inter Miami, were due to kick off the defence of their crown on Saturday at 2.30pm EST at their home, Chase Stadium, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Kick-off has now been moved to 7.30pm EST to allow Lionel Messi and Co a few extra hours of recovery.
This decision was made because of the Concacaf Champions Cup postponement of Inter Miami’s match versus Sporting Kansas City on Tuesday. Severe weather conditions in the Kansas area, included a polar vortex, 5-7 inches of snow and temperatures as low as 5 degrees persuaded authorities that the game could not move forward until the following day.
Whether Messi will suit up with temperatures again expected to be close to freezing has not been discussed.
Concacaf said in a statement: “The decision to reschedule the match has been made to prioritize player and fan safety, and in close coordination with the two participating clubs and the local authorities.”
Inter Miami under their new boss, former Argentine and Barcelona great, Javier Mascherano said that both teams had agreed to change the match date due to the conditions.
“It’s not just a matter of the game, if the snow falls like they say is going to fall, we believe that the city is going to completely collapse, so people won’t be able to go to the field, the accesses may be closed. Many times you only think about the game itself and not everything that surrounds it,” Mascherano said Monday.
As far as MLS is concerned, Saturday at 7.30pm is prime time on the East Coast and with Messi being the biggest draw in MLS, the rescheduling is a big win.
Contact the writer of this story, Nick Webster, at moc.l1740139066labto1740139066ofdlr1740139066owedi1740139066sni@o1740139066fni1740139066