Lionel Messi and Inter Miami caught in MLS “new stadium curse”

Inter Miami and Lionel Messi ran into what is quickly becoming one of Major League Soccer’s strangest trends, the so-called “new stadium curse.”

Austin FC’s Guilherme Biro powered a header past Herons goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair, extending a remarkable run in which visiting teams have scored first in nearly every recent MLS stadium debut.

Just four minutes later, Messi appeared with a response of his own, but by then the damage was already done. The Argentine superstar could not overturn what is starting to look like a consistent pattern for clubs opening new homes in MLS. The game at Nu Stadium ended 2-2.

A troubling trend for home teams

Of the last six newly built MLS stadiums, the visiting side has scored first in five of them, setting the tone before the home crowd could fully settle in.

Before Austin FC’s visit to the newly opened venue for Javier Mascherano’s side, the pattern had already played out in multiple cities across the league.

St. Louis and the rare exception

When St. Louis City SC opened CityPark in St. Louis, Missouri, the home side did manage to celebrate a 3-1 victory. But even then, the first goal belonged to Charlotte FC’s Enzo Copetti, who struck in the 25th minute on March 4, 2023.

St. Louis remains the only team among the six most recent stadium debuts to win in their new home.

Nashville, Columbus and the early setbacks

At GEODIS Park in Nashville, Tennessee, which opened on May 1, 2022, Philadelphia Union’s Mikael Uhre scored first before Nashville SC’s Randall Leal equalized in a 1-1 draw.

A year earlier, Columbus Crew inaugurated Lower.com Field, now known as ScottsMiracle-Gro Field, on July 3, 2021. The Crew battled to a 2-2 draw, but New England Revolution’s Tajon Buchanan struck first.

Mixed history in Austin and Cincinnati

Austin FC’s Q2 Stadium has already seen multiple “firsts.” In an international friendly on June 16, 2021, Christen Press scored the venue’s first-ever goal in a match between the United States women’s national team and Nigeria.

In MLS play, Austin FC and the San Jose Earthquakes opened with a scoreless draw. Jon Gallagher later scored Austin’s first MLS goal at the stadium, but only after two goalless matches, briefly complicating the narrative.

At TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, FC Cincinnati’s opening night also began with a visitor scoring first, as Brek Shea, then with Inter Miami, netted the stadium’s first goal in a 3-2 win for The Herons.

Inter Miami part of the pattern, not the exception

Ironically, Inter Miami were once on the other side of the script. The club’s early stadium era at Chase Stadium began more favorably, with Argentine forward Julián Carranza scoring the first goal in that venue’s history.

But across MLS, the broader trend remains hard to ignore: new stadiums often open with visiting teams setting the tone, leaving home fans waiting for their first true moment of celebration.

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