Lionel Messi is set to start as Inter Miami visit Chicago Fire looking to snap a rough patch of form. Lionel Messi has been included in the starting lineups as Inter Miami visit Chicago Fire at Soldier Field on Wednesday, with the Herons looking to snap a rough patch of form that has seen them go winless in five of their last six league matches. Messi enters the match fresh off a historic achievement, having become the first player in MLS history to reach 30 goal contributions in three separate seasons, a mark he hit while setting up Casemiro’s opener in Miami’s 2-2 draw against Atlanta United in the last fixture. Despite the individual milestone, Miami‘s results have cooled considerably since their 7-1 rout of Montreal, and the club now sits 10 points behind Nashville SC in the race for first place in the Eastern Conference. Chicago Fire, meanwhile, arrive at the match sitting third in the East, five points behind Miami for second place, with a win Wednesday closing that gap to just two points and giving the Fire a game in hand on the Herons. Noche de fútbol en Chicago. 🌃⚽️ #CHIvMIA • @MarriottBonvoy pic.twitter.com/umRymoHQBL— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) September 9, 2026 Gregg Berhalter’s side heads into the match off the back of a wild 4-4 draw at Toronto, a result that featured a brace from Maren Haile-Selassie and a goal from Robert Lewandowski, who has quickly established himself as one of the most efficient scorers in MLS since his move to Chicago. Chicago Fire confirmed lineup Chicago will be without Jonathan Bamba, Mbekezeli Mbokazi and Andre Franco, all of whom sat out the Toronto draw with lower-body issues. Zinckernagel leads the Fire’s attack this season and will look to combine again with Lewandowski and Haile-Selassie up top. Chicago Fire confirmed starting XI: Chris Brady; Jeremy Dean, Jack Elliot, Noah Allen, Andrew Gutman; Anton Salestros, Dje Tah D’Avila, Robin Lod; Philip Zinckernagel, Robert Lewandowski, Maren Haile-Selassie. Inter Miami confirmed lineup Miami’s injury list remains lengthy, with Sergio Reguilon, Gonzalo Lujan, Micael and Mateo Silvetti all confirmed out for the trip to Chicago, forcing Guillermo Hoyos to once again patch together his backline and attacking rotation. Inter Miami confirmed starting XI: Dayne St. Clair; Ian Fray, Casemiro, Maximiliano Falcon, Fricio Caicedo; Rodrigo De Paul, Yannick Bright, Telasco Segovia; Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, German Berterame.
Lionel Scaloni could end up following Lionel Messi's decision to leave Argentina national team as reports claim that his contract renewal has taken a U-turn. Securing Lionel Scaloni‘s long-term future as Argentina‘s head coach has emerged as the primary mandate for the Argentine Football Association (AFA) as preparations begin for the 2030 World Cup cycle. However, the manager could follow Lionel Messi out the door, as reports indicate extension talks have hit an unexpected impasse. Lionel Messi’s announcement of his retirement from the national team caught football executives off guard, concluding a 21-year international tenure with the Albiceleste. Scaloni remains under contract through December 2026 and intends to honor that agreement, but his willingness to commit beyond that date remains in question. According to reporting from Argentine insider Veronica Brunatti, Scaloni signaled to AFA president Claudio Tapia that he is experiencing fatigue from the demands of managing the national team. While federation executives remain eager to lock him into a long-term agreement, negotiations regarding his future remain on hold. The manager’s uncertainty aligns with two pivotal shifts: Messi’s international exit and Argentina‘s recent loss in the 2026 World Cup final. Navigating the departure of the program’s defining icon while phasing out veterans to initiate a new cycle toward 2030 presents a daunting mental workload for Scaloni, whose deep emotional bond with his core group has been well-documented throughout his tenure. #SelecciónMayor Se cumplen ocho años desde la llegada de Lionel Scaloni a la Selección Argentina.🚍 Ocho años de #Scaloneta y de siempre pelear arriba.🏆 Cuatro títulos, entre ellos la máxima gesta en Qatar 2022 🌎🙌 Ocho años de trabajo, pasión y gloria. pic.twitter.com/8AavEHhPvz— 🇦🇷 Selección Argentina ⭐⭐⭐ (@Argentina) September 7, 2026 On Monday, September 7, Scaloni completed eight full years in charge of the national team, a milestone acknowledged across AFA’s official media channels. Reporting from TyC Sports and journalist Gaston Edul confirms that while formal contract extension negotiations have not officially opened, Scaloni is fully aware of AFA’s intent to keep him at the helm. Argentina coaching staff member on the brink of leaving While serving as the public face of Argentina’s tactical renaissance, Scaloni has frequently credited his supporting staff, comprising former national team icons Pablo Aimar, Roberto Ayala, and Walter Samuel, with shaping the culture behind the country’s recent championship run. Now, one of those key pillars is preparing to depart. According to Brunatti, assistant coach Walter Samuel has made the decision to pursue a head coaching career. The former Inter Milan central defender sees his contract expire alongside Scaloni’s in December 2026, and he intends to seek his first senior managerial role in Europe following eight years on Argentina’s bench. As a respected defensive strategist, Samuel oversaw set-piece preparation and defensive organization for the national team. With Scaloni set to lose a key pillar of his brain trust, questions surrounding his own willingness to lead Argentina into the 2030 cycle continue to intensify.
MATT BARLOW: Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi said it would take time for the Ukraine international winger to get up to speed but his progress is halted by a setback in training.
With a stunning header in Al Nassr's game against Abha in the SPL, Cristiano Ronaldo scored the 979th goal of his career. Al Nassr hosted Abha on Wednesday for Matchday 6 of the 2026-27 Saudi Pro League season, aiming to bounce back following their first defeat of the campaign. With the scoreline still level in the early stages, Cristiano Ronaldo broke the deadlock with a commanding header. Despite controlling possession and generating the clearest chances against the newly promoted side, Al Nassr initially struggled to turn their dominance into goals. Ronaldo failed to hit the target on his opening two attempts before finally making his mark on the match. In the 22nd minute, Angelo delivered a precise corner kick into the box, allowing Ronaldo to rise above his defender near the six-yard box. Connecting with power, he drove his header into the far post, past the reach of goalkeeper Donovan Leon. هدف! ⚽️كريستيانو رونالدو لا يتأخر طويلًا، ويسجل أول أهداف النصر في شباك أبها 🔥🐐 #النصر_أبها | #دوري_روشن_السعودي pic.twitter.com/0Rym2wHWND— رياضة ثمانية (@thmanyahsports) September 9, 2026 The strike against Abha marked Ronaldo’s third goal through five appearances in the 2026-27 campaign and his 132nd overall in an Al Nassr uniform, demonstrating his ongoing efficiency at age 41. With a final 2-1 result, Al Nassr returned to the top of the standings, level with Al Hilal at 15 points apiece. Ronaldo still closing in on 1,000-goal mark Cristiano Ronaldo made headlines weeks ago by suggesting the 2026-27 campaign could mark his final season as a professional. That admission turned sharp focus toward what the Portuguese legend can accomplish before retiring, with one overarching milestone remaining: reaching 1,000 career official goals. The header against Abha represented the 979th career goal for Ronaldo, leaving him 21 strikes shy of becoming the first player in modern soccer history to reach 1,000 official goals. While a demanding target, his current scoring pace keeps the milestone well within reach over the remainder of the campaign. Averaging 0.60 goals per match with three goals through five appearances for Al Nassr this season, a linear projection indicates Ronaldo would require approximately 35 additional matches to produce the 21 goals needed to reach four digits. Given the volume of fixtures across competitions, Ronaldo will have ample opportunities to close the gap before the end of the 2026-27 campaign. Between SPL, King’s Cup, and AFC Champions League Elite action, Al Nassr have at least 37 scheduled fixtures remaining, complemented by UEFA Nations League fixtures with Portugal that expand his runway beyond 40 matches.
Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski are finally facing each other in the Major League Soccer, prompting questions of what was the outcome of the last clash between the two legends. Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski prepare to cross paths once again, facing off for the first time in Major League Soccer following a storied and at times tense history between the two iconic forwards. As the two legends prepare to share the pitch, fans are looking back at their most recent encounters. The Chicago Fire host Inter Miami on Wednesday, September 9, at Soldier Field. The home side enter the contest on a six-match unbeaten streak in MLS play, sitting fifth in the Supporters’ Shield standings with 38 points through 22 matches, while the Herons hold third place with 43 points through 23 games during a mixed stretch featuring one win, two draws, and two losses over their last five outings. Lewandowski previously featured against Inter Miami following his July 22 arrival in Chicago, as the Herons secured a 3-2 victory in a match Messi missed while resting after Argentina’s 2026 World Cup run. For Wednesday’s fixture, however, both superstars are expected to feature in the starting XI for one of the season’s most anticipated MLS matchups. A heated previous encounter between Messi and Lewandowski Following the cancellation of the 2020 Ballon d’Or, Messi stated during his 2021 acceptance speech that Lewandowski deserved the prior year’s honor, prompting the Polish striker to publicly question Messi’s sincerity. Messi subsequently excluded Lewandowski from his voting ballot for FIFA The Best award, fueling further public friction between the two. Lionel Messi of Argentina battles for possesion with Robert Lewandowski of Poland. (Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) That tension spilled onto the pitch during Matchday 3 of the 2022 World Cup group stage, where Messi visibly snubbed an on-field greeting from Lewandowski prior to kickoff. Argentina went on to secure a 2-0 victory over Poland, highlighted by a late incident where Messi dribbled aggressively at Lewandowski before drawing a foul. Speaking to ESPN a year later, Messi admitted he harbored extra motivation during that match. “I was bothered by the statements Lewandowski had made. Because when I won the Ballon d’Or, I truly meant what I said about him. And for him to speak the way he spoke, honestly, it bothered me. I dribbled past him again just because it was him,” he stated on what has been their last encounter until today. A deadlocked all-time series In recent years, the friction between the two icons has cooled, with Lewandowski publicly expressing hope that Messi would return to FC Barcelona during his tenure in Spain. Now competing as rivals in MLS, both stars will look to take the lead in their head-to-head record. Their series began during the 2014-15 UEFA Champions League semifinals, where Messi scored twice and added an assist in Barcelona’s 3-0 first-leg win over Bayern Munich. Lewandowski scored in Bayern’s 3-2 second-leg victory, though Barcelona advanced 5-3 on aggregate. Their final European club meeting came in 2020 during Bayern’s iconic 8-2 quarterfinal victory over Barcelona, where Lewandowski recorded a goal and an assist. Messi subsequently evened their all-time head-to-head record at 2-2-0 with Argentina’s World Cup victory over Poland, setting the stage for Wednesday’s MLS showdown to break the tie.
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