Is the MLS schedule to blame for Lionel Messi’s Vancouver no-show?

Nearly a year into his MLS career, Lionel Messi’s magnetic draw shows no signs of fading. He remains a dominant force both on and off the field, winning matches and packing stadiums across the country.

And yet the Argentine will not be involved in his side’s trip to Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday, his sixth absence in his team’s first 15 MLS fixtures of 2024. Messi is not thought to have suffered an injury but, now 36 years old, the gruelling cross-country flight was deemed too much of a burden for the veteran star with a midweek Game against Atlanta United on the horizon. News that Messi would not Travel came as a blow for the 55,000 fans who had already spent hundreds of dollars on tickets for the Game at BC Place.

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Peter Czimmermann is the president of Whitecaps fan group Vancouver Southsiders and was part of a months-long effort to help offer reduced-price tickets for the hotly anticipated Inter Miami game. With Messi no longer making the trip up north, he questioned the league’s scheduling decisions.

“It was really an opportunity for the club to grow the faNBAse,” he told AS USA. “They sold out the stadium, it was really a chance for us to show that soccer in Vancouver is alive and booming. So it was quite a disappointment.”

“This is basically caused by poor planning, fixture congestion. Vancouver is very far from Miami… It’s the league’s own doing, scheduling these games just four days apart. With a full day of travel, basically, at each end.”

Inter Miami head coach Tata Martino made a similar point in his pre-match press conference on Friday. The Herons boss explained: “We have to take these measures that are sometimes unpleasant for people. But they are beneficial for the players.”

How much are tickets to watch Messi and Inter Miami?

With Inter Miami at the top of the Eastern Conference and Messi the outstanding MVP candidate demand for tickets remains high, evidenced by a flurry of recent MLS attendance records. But with demand high, so too are the prices.

Fans can usually see a Whitecaps Game for around $30 but individual tickets for the visit of Inter Miami cost in excess of $200. It’s makes good Business sense for the teams involved but causes problems when the star attraction fails to appear, forcing Vancouver to release a sheepishly apologetic statement ahead of the Game.

For Czimmermann the ticket price hike is understandable, albeit slightly excessive. With Inter Miami tickets changing hands for vastly iNFLated sums on resale websites, he’s not convinced that fans would have got a better deal.

“They could have sold the tickets for $30, $40 like they usually do, but then the scalpers would have taken all the extra money. These tickets were ‘that’ valuable, they sold out the stadium at these prices,” he explained.

“It’s still outrageous to set the price at 10x but if someone’s going to take the profit it should be our club. The problem is that you have to make sure that you set the expectations right.”

As a gesture of goodwill, Vancouver have offered half price refreshments and free kids meals for all those who turn out to see the Whitecaps take on a Messi-less Miami. Those in attendance may not get to see a Ballon d’Or winner in the flesh but their chances of witnessing a Whitecaps victory have increased substantially.