Rapids draw second-highest attendance in MLS history for Messi, anniversary match, but fall

DENVER — You could put two or even three Broncos home games from their 2025 season together, and you wouldn’t have as many fans wearing No. 10 jerseys at Empower Field at Mile High as you saw Saturday afternoon.

Such is the power of Lionel Messi.

Yes, Saturday’s game was about celebrating the Colorado Rapids’ 30th anniversary. But whether you rode the light rail, walked through the parking lot ore stolled around the parking lot, the main attraction was as palpable as the sunshine from above.

In jerseys representing Argentina, Barcelona, Paris St. Germain and plenty of Inter Miami pink, the 10s appeared to reached the tens of thousands among the 75,824 on hand.

And those fans got what they wanted.

With the match deadlocked at 2-2 in the 79th minute, Messi moved into the right side of the 18-yard box, guided the ball to his left foot and fired a strike to the upper left corner past Zack Steffen.

It was the GOAT against a goalkeeper who’s had his ups and downs this year and earlier this season went viral for a a calamitous own goal. Steffen didn’t have much of a chance.

The crowd roared — as loudly as it did for the home team’s goals. And if you looked closely in the stands, you could even see some Rapids supporters applauding, similar to how in baseball you see home fans saluting a road team’s pitcher firing a no-hitter.

There’s something to appreciating greatness. The packed house at the Broncos’ home saw it Saturday.

And although Inter Miami finished with 10 men after Yannick Bright’s 87th-minute red card, Messi’s goal — his second of the game — stood up, giving the Rapids their first home defeat of the seasonably a 3-2 count and spoiling their anniversary celebration in front of the largest crowd to ever witness a soccer game in Colorado and the second-largest crowd in Major League Soccer history.

RAPIDS CONTROLLED THE RUN OF PLAY, BUT DIDN’T GET RESULTS UNTIL THE 58TH MINUTE

The Messi adorers saw their Argentinian hero score from the spot in the 18th minute when he got Rapids keeper Zack Steffen to commit to his left, opening up the rest of the net for a soft, easy chip shot.

To that point, the Rapids had a 76-24 percentage advantage in possession. They maintained control of the game’s flow for the rest of the first half. Inter Miami couldn’t cobble together more than four passes on a consistent basis; by halftime, the Rapids had nearly a two-to-one advantage in passes — 281 to 144 — and a 66-34 edge in possession percentage.

But the Rapids went into the half down 2-0 as Inter Miami scored on its only first-half shot on goal from the run of play.

Five minutes into first-half stoppage time, Messi one-touched a pass to Rodrigo De Paul, who found Mateo Silvetti on the right flank. Silvetti then arced a cross that Germán Beterame headed past Steffen with the final touch before halftime.

Finally in the 58th minute, Rafael Navarro gave the Rapids multitudes reason to make their voices heard, breaking down the center of the field and poking it past Dayne St. Clair to slice the Inter Miami lead to 2-1.

Four minutes later, Lucas Harrington found Darren Yapi in space left and just outside of the 18-yard box. Yapi coolly adjusted and left-footed it past St. Clair for the tying goal.

https://www.twittere.com/ColoradoRapids/status/2045628044254298591?s=20

Colorado finished with a possession advantage of 61 to 39 percent, outshot Inter Miami 13-9 and had more shots on target, 4 to 3.

But the visitors had Messi. And just over two months shy of his 39th birthday, he showed that he still has some magic left in him.

No one who was on hand Saturday will forget what they witnessed. It was a bucket-list item. Unfortunately for the hometown XI, it came at the expense of badly-needed points in the Western Conference table.

Colorado soccer history made‼️ pic.twitter.com/btswFAmsAQ

— Colorado Rapids (@ColoradoRapids) April 18, 2026

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