Fire offer insurance in advance of Lionel Messi visit Aug. 31

Just in case Chicago is not Lionel Messi's kind of town for a second consecutive season, the Fire are taking precautions for a scheduled game against Inter Miami on Aug. 31 in the Windy City.

The MLS club said it will offer either a $250 or $100 voucher if Messi fails to play in Chicago later this season.

Messi missed an Inter Miami game at Chicago late last season for what appeared to be load management reasons, with soreness from scar tissue listed as the reason the Argentina superstar did not travel to Chicago. That game was sold out last season in anticipation of Messi's visit.

Messi did play in Chicago on June 9 for Argentina in a friendly against Ecuador in advance of the Copa America tournament.

The voucher options being offered are available to anybody that purchases tickets between now and the Aug. 31 game. If Messi does not take the field, the $250 voucher could be used on season tickets for 2025, or the $100 voucher could be used the next time Inter Miami visits Chicago in 2025.

For fans who have already purchased tickets for the Aug. 31 game, they will have a chance to claim two free tickets to the regular-season home finale on Oct. 19 against Nashville SC.

The offers come as the Fire travel to Florida to face Inter Miami on Saturday at Fort Lauderdale. Messi is not scheduled to play in that game because of what the team called a ligament injury in his right ankle that occurred in the Copa America final Sunday. Argentina earned a 1-0 victory over Columbia.

--Field Level Media