Seven anecdotes from Lionel Messi’s historic visit to play Minnesota United

Soul Asylum front man Dave Pirner might have been going through the motions with one of his between-song messages in St Paul on Saturday You could be anywhere but you re here he noted before thousands at the Minnesota band s free alt-rock set on the lawn outside Allianz Field But for those gathering soccer fans there was no other place to be than the Midway to see legendary Argentine forward Lionel Messi and Inter Miami play Minnesota United Pirner did tailored a subsequent message for the Loons and his jersey-wearing audience I want to thank the football club for having us he commented The real kind of football Inside the stadium a sellout crowd of watched Messi points a goal but the Loons beat the Herons convincingly - on a beautiful early summer afternoon It was the Loons th home meeting at Allianz Field Here are six other anecdotes from a historic soccer day in Minnesota A crowd unlike any other Normally the only signs of a encounter at Allianz Field two hours before kickoff are stadium workers trickling in for their shifts and the faint scent of one vendor s beignets wafting outside the gates By that time on Saturday the stadium s four corner entrances had lines snaking down the block Chris Bernett and son Isaac drove from La Crosse Wis to attend their first MLS match They were the first in line at the southeast entrance roughly three hours before kickoff They spent more than per ticket for spots in the stadium s lower bowl jumping at the chance for the soccer-playing Issac to see his favorite participant Messi We wished to make this happen for him Chris declared toward his beaming child in a Messi No jersey Made it their own Other MLS teams have moved their Messi matches to nearby NFL stadiums to accommodate the huge demand to see the eight-time FIFA athlete of the year and one-time World Cup champion The Loons kept the most-circled challenge on their schedule at their -seat stadium instead of moving it to Huntington Bank or US Bank stadiums where the club could have more than doubled their gate receipts The decision to keep it at their much-smaller soccer-specific venue meant its season-ticket base of could sit in their exact seats for the match And the choice to keep it in St Paul meant MNUFC gave up more than million in revenue a source narrated the Pioneer Press on Saturday There also is an element of that being a false choice because if the tournament had moved to the Vikings or Gophers homes the artificial turf fields at those spots might have kept the -year-old Messi from playing in Minnesota anyway One let down Hundreds of fans pressed up against metal gates at Allianz Field s southwest entrance to get a glimpse and maybe an autograph from one of the greatest players of all time But unlike other visiting teams going through those doors Inter Miami came through the loading dock on the other side of the venue While there were more guards Saturday protection remained a concern Yet that logistical change was an undeniable bummer for those waiting throngs Pretty cool Dave Waters used to live across the street from St Paul Central High School which made it walkable to go see Minnesota Thunder matches there years ago On Saturday the Minneapolis resident and season-ticket holder biked to Allianz Field But shield guards advised him he couldn t park his bike in one of the metal racks He just shrugged it off with a brief chuckle It s fun Waters noted in a well-worn Thunder jersey before the match He is the best soccer performer there is Pretty cool to be able to see him in person Left early After Robin Lod extended the Loons lead to - in the th minute Messi fans started to head for the exits All the players in our group were just enjoying the moment because we had a good lead Lod reported Mementos It was fitting for the Loons two Argentine players Joaquin Pereyra and Nicolas Romero to each come away with a pink Messi jersey after the match Romero held up his collector s item for a photo from the Pioneer Press while Pereyra had his draped over the chair at his locker as he showered Loons captain Michael Boxall joked Bold of him to leave it there Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi kicks the ball against Minnesota United midfielder Robin Lod in the second half of a MLS battle at Allianz Field in St Paul on Saturday May Minnesota United beat Inter Miami - John Autey Pioneer Press