Vancouver soccer fans can stop holding their breath: global superstar Lionel Messi is officially in town.
The Inter Miami forward arrived in Vancouver on Wednesday, ahead of a critical matchup with the Vancouver Whitecaps with international implications.
The two clubs will face off on Thursday in the first of two matches (the second to be played in Miami) that will decide their CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinal.
The winner will proceed to the prestigious international tournament’s final, where they’ll face either Tigres UANL or Cruz Azul, both Mexican pro clubs.
Whitecaps fans had been on edge about whether Messi would actually come following the star’s no-show during a regularly scheduled MLS league game last spring.
High ticket prices and heavy promotion of his planned appearance quickly shifted to a fan backlash, and while the Whitecaps were apologetic, there was little in the way of compensation and some fans went as far as launching a class-action lawsuit.
It appears the prestigious international stakes were enough to draw the star to Vancouver for this matchup — however, there has still been no official confirmation that he will actually take the field.
“It’s a very important game for us. Maybe one of the most important games for the history of the club, so we are ready and we are waiting for this game,” Inter Miami manager Javier Mascherano told media at a Wednesday press conference.
“I don’t like to talk before the game about who is available or who isn’t, so tomorrow you will see.”
Box office tickets to the matchup quickly sold out, and have appeared on ticket resale sites where they are selling from between $177 and $3,500.
The Whitecaps are expecting around 54,000 fans at BC Place on Thursday.