Photos: The Messi Effect touches Kansas City

April 18, 2024

Jordan Hirsekorn,

Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi v. Sporting KC on Saturday, April 13. // Photo by Jordan Hirsekorn

Taylor Swift now has a case for second largest celebrity to impact Kansas City, after Sporting KC’s Saturday match against Inter Miami. Fans packed Arrowhead on Saturday evening in anticipation of watching one of the very best soccer players of all-time take on the home team: Lionel Messi. Since joining the MLS in 2023, the ‘Messi effect’ has taken place all around the country, with thousands of fans claiming seats to watch the footballer live. Many have seen, at least one, clip of a Messi highlight during their lives, but up until recently, many fans that live in the States have yet to see him in action, considering he has always played across seas. On Saturday, that changed for the 72,610 fans in attendance in Chiefs Kingdom, marking the most attended soccer game in Missouri history. Sporting fell 3-2 against Miami—Messi having scored one of the three goals—but, nonetheless, fans were still satisfied to see one of the greatest soccer players in person.

Our photographer Jordan Hirsekorn was their to capture the fun: