Ed Jay-Bay Area Sports Wrap
SAN JOSE — It was a whirlwind three days in Silicon Valley for fútbol fans.
Lionel Messi, who has been the dubbed the G.O.A.T. by the masses, and his Major League Soccer squad Inter Miami invaded San Jose this past Sunday before their scheduled match against the San Jose Earthquakes on May 14th.
No one can command a town whether it’s an athlete, politician or clergy figure the way Messi has for more than a decade. Not Michael Jordan, not the Pope, not even an extra-terrestrial from a planet in a galaxy far, far away could have people go absolutely out of their minds just with their presence.
This time it was San Jose’s turn to experience “Messi Mania” for its first and only time the world-renowned soccer superstar came to the Bay Area. His team stayed at the Valencia Hotel in the posh, bougee Santana Row complex. Hundreds if not thousands of fans, as well as media, camped out hoping for a glimpse of their hero.
When Messi came out onto the outside balcony of his room for a brief moment, roaring cheers emerged as the Argentine midfielder obliged the hysteria with a few waves and smiles as he relished it all in before retiring back into his room.
Messi, who is mostly a private person, never came out to speak publicly and the only time you could have viewed a glance of him when he wasn’t seven stories high, was when he exited and entered the team bus. The team did not make him available for any post-match interviews.
His fanbase didn’t care, just his presence alone, made for a once in a lifetime opportunity for them, especially if they didn’t have tickets for the Wednesday evening match.
Of the 18,000 fans that did show up and pack Pay Pal Park, every single one of them was there to see the grace, the creativity, the beauty that Messi has displayed on the pitch for over two decades that has made him the G.O.A.T.
Tickets for the match on the third-party system market STARTED at $300 and kept going up higher as the match neared. No matter the price spent, it was all worth it to the fans who came dressed in Argentina, Barcelona or Inter Miami jerseys to show their fandom.
Throughout the match, which by the way in case you weren’t there that evening as one of the lucky ones to score a ticket or have a media credential, chants of his name echoed throughout the stadium. Every time Messi touched the ball the crowd's anticipation grew more and more as they stood on their feet hoping for something magical to happen from the living legend.
Messi had the crowd ooohing and awwing, whenever he had possession of the ball. He helped create two of the three goals Inter Miami scored against the Earthquakes during the 3-3 draw.
“I think the biggest mistake we could have made tonight was to be too respectful of Messi. Some teams maybe get players around him a little tighter and try to dive the ball. We just want to play our game and try to be the better team tonight. At the same time, obviously have the greatest respect for a player of his skill and talent and all of that. So hopefully the people in the stands enjoyed the game,” Earthquakes head coach Bruce Arena said after his team earned a much-needed point.
Speaking of the match, it was arguably one of the best matches played in the history of The Triple P. Five of the six goals scored in the match happened in the chaotic, breathtaking first half. Both teams didn’t care much about defense on that night as scoring chances were abundant during the 90 plus minutes from both squads.
Inter Miami only needed the opening 35 seconds to draw first blood against the home team. Jordi Alba centered the ball into the middle of the box where an unmarked Maximiliano Falcón headed the ball into an open net.
San Jose responded just two minutes later when Inter Miami’s goalkeeper made a lazy pass inside his own box that was intercepted by Quakes captain Christan Espinoza who found his fellow namesake Cristian Arango all alone in the middle. Arango calmly put the ball into the back of the net for his team leading 9th goal of the season.
The Earthquakes gained its first lead in the 37th minute as a pass intended for Ian Harkes deflected off Sergo Busquets right on to the foot of San Jose midfielder Beau Leroux who blasted a shot off the hands of Inter Miami goalkeeper Oscar Ustari for his second goal of the season.
“I'll remember it for the rest of my life,” said Leroux on what it was like to play alongside Messi. “It's an honor to share the field with him and all the great players on our team and their team. Not going to think about it too much. ... Just looking forward to the next game.”
The back and forth opening 45 minutes saw Messi’s squad tally the equalizer in the 44th minute. Messi started the counterattack with a long ball to Alba. The Spanish fullback centered a perfectly crossed ball over Tadeo Allende who scored the first of his two goals of the match.
Once again San Jose said we see your tying goal and raise you one. In the fourth minute of stoppage time Leroux recorded his second point of the game when he found Harkes from 20 yards out in the middle of the pitch. Harkes buried a left-footed shot into the lower left corner for his first goal in a Quakes kit.
The entire stadium had a chance to breathe at halftime as they prepared for the second half theatrics. There was one sour note during the match when Arango had to leave the pitch after suffering a left leg injury in the first half. Arango was able to walk off under his own power as the injury didn’t appear to be serious.
Messi's magic led to Inter Miami’s second equalizer in the 52nd minute. The 2022 World Cup champion dribbled into the box before making a touch pass out to Baltasar Rodríguez along the right wing. Rodríguez centered the ball over Allende who one-timed it into an open net to complete his brace.
Messi came within inches of giving the fans the storied book ending they were hoping for with him scoring the match’s winning goal when he got all alone along the left side of the net. However, his point blank-chance was kicked away at the last moment by Quakes goalkeeper Daniel in the second minute of stoppage time.
Then two minutes later in the match’s waning moments, Hernán López, nephew of the late great Diego Maradona, came within inches of scoring the winning goal for San Jose when his right-footed shot sailed just wide right of the net.
The match ended and the crowd hailed their hero with a standing ovation after a very entertaining performance the beautiful game provided on a cool, crisp evening in San Jose.
Afterwards, Espinoza finally was able to exchange jerseys with Messi, a popular tradition that shows the ultimate sign of respect players have for each other in the game of soccer.
“It was really special to me for my career. This was the second time that I could face Messi on the field. First was in Spain. I wasn't able to get his jersey then via trade, and today I did, so I'm really happy for that. And also, being on the field as the captain of my team, while he also was a captain for Inter Miami. It was a really special moment for me, and I really enjoyed playing against Messi,” Espinoza said.
Messi Mania came and gone in a blink of an eye, but it was a triumphant debut for Lionel as the memories of his lone presence in the South Bay will live on for an eternity.
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