With their sights set on much higher achievements, Lionel Messi and Inter Miami target a spot in the CONCACAF Champions Cup last 16 as they host Sporting KC in the second leg of their Round One matchup.
Messi’s habitual heroics secured a 1-0 aggregate advantage last week in the frigid Kansas City weather, as his 56th-minute goal was the difference across the first leg. After the Argentine legend assisted a man-down equalizer against NYCFC on Saturday in their MLS opener, he will likely be a focal point again tonight as the Herons look to hold serve.
Sporting KC have yet to score a goal in their first two games in 2025, blanked in the first leg of this matchup last week and again smothered by Austin FC on Saturday in another 1-0 defeat.
The Jugo Mobile is following the Inter Miami vs. Sporting KC match live, providing score updates, commentary.
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Inter Miami vs. Sporting KC score
| Score (aggregate) | Goal scorers | |
| Inter Miami | 0 (1) | – |
| Sporting KC | 0 (0) | – |
Location: Chase Stadium (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)Referee: Ismael Cornejo (ESV)
Starting lineups:
Inter Miami (4-3-3, right to left): Ustari (GK) — Fray, Falcon, Aviles, Alba — Segovia, Busquets, Redondo — Messi, Suarez, Allende.
Sporting KC (4-5-1, right to left): 1. Pulskamp (GK) — 17. J. Davis, 5. Rosero, 4. Voloder, 14. Leibold — 93. Suleymanov, 22. Bassong, 21. M. Garcia, 16. Bartlett, 26. Thommy — 9. Joveljic
Inter Miami vs. Sporting KC live updates, highlights from second leg
45 mins to kickoff: The Sporting KC lineup came through a little late, and it’s a very odd one as head coach Peter Vermes has heavily rotated his side from both the weekend defeat and the first leg of this matchup.
Players such as Shapi Suleymanov, Manu Garcia, and Zorhan Bassong who did not feature in either XI from the first two contests this season are included in the lineup, giving Inter Miami something extra to sort out ahead of kickoff.
1 hour to kickoff: The Inter Miami lineup is in! Lionel Messi starts for the Herons as expected, while Oscar Ustari remains in goal, with Drake Callender again nowhere to be found in the squad. Maxi Falcon has been handed his club debut at center-back, while Ian Fray enters at right-back for the injured Marcelo Weigandt. Saturday’s hero Telasco Segovia has earned a start.
For some reason, the Sporting KC lineup has not been released just yet, so standby for the visiting XI imminently…
1 hour 15 mins to kickoff: Unsurprisingly, Inter Miami will wear their pink home kits tonight for the second leg of their CONCACAF Champions League meeting with Sporting KC. It has become one of the most iconic and highest selling kits in the world since Lionel Messi joined.
📍 Chase Stadium. Champions Cup. It’s time. 💗🖤 pic.twitter.com/21Z3s7kTJc
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) February 25, 2025
1 hour 30 mins to kickoff: Lionel Messi has been in the global spotlight for years, used to having his every move scrutinized. Which is why it was so jarring to see him yellow carded after the NYCFC match on Saturday for verbally assaulting the referee before turning his ire on the opposing coaching staff.
Inter Miami were understandably furious as a number of key decisions went against them in their 2-2 opening day draw, but Messi losing his temper after the match was tough to watch. Usually known for his even keel, Messi went after the referee and earned a booking, and then had an altercation with an NYCFC assistant.
While none of it flared out of control, Messi’s interaction with the coach included a slight grab of the neck which was clearly not appreciated judging by the coach’s ensuing glare. If he wishes to be the face of MLS for the remainder of his career, he’ll want to keep incidents like this to a minimum.
Oh, and Luis Suarez was fined too, it was announced a few hours ago, for putting his hands on the neck of an opposing player. Not sure why this is suddenly a thing that these guys feel the need to do!
Not a great look. Grabbing an assistant coach by the neck. Going after the ref. pic.twitter.com/uwAv72Hg7y
— Taylor Twellman (@TaylorTwellman) February 23, 2025
1 hour 45 mins to kick: It will be interesting to see if Inter Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender returns for this match or if he still needs time to recover from a groin injury suffered on international duty this past offseason.
Callender is reportedly training with the team and has been for some time, but was not included in the squad for Saturday’s MLS season opener. If he remains out, Oscar Ustari will again don the gloves, but questions are beginning to mount about Callender’s fitness or place in the team.
2 hours to kickoff: With the aggregate scoreline slightly in favor of the home side but still very much in the balance ahead of the second leg, it’s worth a look at the tiebreaker rules for the CONCACAF Champions Cup.
Unlike many continental competitions around the world, the CCC still employs the away-goals rule to break aggregate deadlocks. This means a 1-0 Sporting KC victory would send the game to extra time, while a visiting win of any other variety would see them through to the Round of 16 and Inter Miami eliminated.
Inter Miami vs. Sporting KC kick off time
This CONCACAF Champions Cup second leg kicks off from Chase Stadium on Tuesday, February 25 at 8 p.m. local time in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Here’s how that time translates across the major time zones in North America:
| Date | Kickoff time | |
| Eastern Time | Tue, Feb. 25 | 8 p.m. ET |
| Central Time | Tue, Feb. 25 | 7 p.m. CT |
| Mountain Time | Tue, Feb. 25 | 6 p.m. MT |
| Pacific Time | Tue, Feb. 25 | 5 p.m. PT |
Inter Miami vs. Sporting KC lineups, team news
While it was reported weeks ago that goalkeeper Drake Callender had returned to training from an offseason groin injury, he has not yet returned to the side and it’s unclear when he will reclaim the starting spot from Oscar Ustari.
The Herons lost new signing Fafa Picault just eight minutes into his first start for the club over the weekend, and right-back Marcelo Weigandt was also forced off at halftime of the draw with NYCFC. Neither player trained Monday, and it’s unlikely they will participate, but David Martinez could be involved having recovered from his ankle issue.
Gonzalo Lujan will likely take over at right-back, and Max Falcon could make his club debut in the middle. Tomas Aviles will serve a suspension in MLS play for his first-half dismissal against NYCFC, but he will be available for this continental match. Telasco Segovia could potentially be rewarded with a start after his late equalizer on Saturday earned a dramatic point.
Inter Miami starting lineup (4-3-3): Ustari (GK) — Fray, Falcon, Aviles, Alba — Segovia, Busquets, Redondo — Messi, Suarez, Allende.
Inter Miami subs (12): Rios Novo (GK), Sailor, D. Martinez, Lujan, Hall, Allen, Gressel, Taylor, Cremaschi, D. Ruiz, Morales, Afonso.
Sporting KC have only a few injuries to worry about as the season gets underway. The only notable absence is Khiry Shelton, as the versatile 31-year-old recovers from a hamstring injury suffered in preseason.
Head coach Peter Vermes will look to decide between a few platoon contributors, including the option to bring Dejan Joveljic back into the XI up front. The former LA Galaxy striker fired a blank in the first leg, but so too did his replacement William Agada in the MLS opener against Austin FC.
Sporting KC starting lineup (4-5-1): Pulskamp (GK) — J. Davis, Rosero, Voloder, Leibold — Suleymanov, Bassong, M. Garcia, Bartlett, Thommy — Joveljic
Sporting KC subs (10): Schewe (GK), Brody, James, Ndenbe, Badoja, G. Rodriguez, Afrifa, Agada, Salloi, Toye.
Inter Miami vs. Sporting KC live stream, TV channel
This CONCACAF Champions Cup match will be televised in the United States on Fox Sports 2 in English. There is also a Spanish-language broadcast available on TUDN.
Both channels can be found on Fubo, who are offering a free trial for new users.
Around the globe, countries without a dedicated broadcast rights partner can access the match on the CONCACAF YouTube channel as well as the confederation’s streaming service CONCACAF GO.
| Region | TV | Streaming |
| USA | FS2, TUDN | Fubo, Vix |
| Canada | — | CONCACAF YouTube/Website |
| UK | — | CONCACAF YouTube/Website |
| Australia | — | CONCACAF YouTube/Website |
| India | — | CONCACAF YouTube/Website |