It’s hard to remember an early regular season Chicago Fire home game as highly anticipated as this one. Lionel Messi will finally play at Soldier Field as a member of Inter Miami CF. The Fire are hosting the G.O.A.T. and simply put, it’s going to be a rocking crowd!
It’s also a match-up of two teams that currently hold playoff qualification position in the Eastern Conference, so there will be a whole lot on the line.
Chicago Fire FC vs. Inter Miami CF FYIs
Sunday, April 13, 2025, Kickoff 3:30
Soldier Field – Chicago, Illinois
Match Preview: Go here
All-time Series: Chicago leads 4-3-1.
Broadcast: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, WLS 890 AM (English), Que Buena Fire via the Uforia app (Spanish).
“Any time you get to play against a team that’s close to the top of the table in your conference, it’s some type of measuring stick,” Chicago Fire coach Gregg Berhalter said.
“This is a group that has high aspirations, and if we have these high aspirations, we have to be able to compete against teams like Miami.
“So we expect Sunday to be a good game, and we’re looking forward to it.”
So without any further ado, let’s take a look at who might be the first teams for both sides.
Starting Lineup Predictions
Inter Miami
Drake Callender; Ian Fray, Tomas Aviles, Gonzalo Lujan, Jordi Alba; Fafa Picault, Benjamin Cremaschi, Sergio Busquets, Telasco Segovia; Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez
Chicago Fire
Chris Brady; Andre Reynolds II, Carlos Teran, Omar Gonzalez, Andrew Gutman; Maren Haile-Selassie, Kellyn Acosta, Sergio Oregel; Tom Barlow, Hugo Cuypers, Jonathan Bamba
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.