Inter Miami to host Cruz Azul in Campeones Cup rematch of Messi's MLS debut | OneFootball

Inter Miami will host Cruz Azul for the second time on 16 September at Nu Stadium in Miami, the champions of Liga MX and Major League Soccer meeting in the Campeones Cup.

According to interheron.com, the annual fixture is not sanctioned by CONCACAF or FIFA, with the winners receiving a trophy, about $340,000 in prize money, and bragging rights.

The meeting carries extra resonance for Inter Miami supporters, recalling Lionel Messi's first appearance in South Florida.

On 21 July 2023, six days after Inter Miami officially confirmed his signing and six weeks after he said he would join the Herons in MLS, Messi faced Cruz Azul in the inaugural Leagues Cup group stage at what is now Inter Miami Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.

Messi and fellow newcomer Sergio Busquets came on together in the 54th minute for their first appearances in Miami colours. With the score 1-1 in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time, Messi curled a shot into the top left corner to win it.

That moment underlined his arrival in MLS and helped set the tone for Las Garzas' run to their first major trophy.

The leagues partner in the Campeones Cup and Leagues Cup, yet remain rivals, and many view interleague games as a crude barometer that adds drama.

It is also a trophy, and Inter Miami's ambition to join the world's leading football brands depends on collecting silverware, of any kind.

Source: interheron.com