Messi meets the Dawg Pound: Soccer superstar leads Inter Miami into Cleveland against Columbus

CLEVELAND (AP) - Lionel Messi has played in his share of unique environments as one of the top soccer players in the world.

He adds another on Saturday when the Argentine superstar visits the Dawg Pound.

Instead of Cleveland Browns fans barking at opponents from the bleachers in the East end zone, Crew supporters will take over the space on Saturday when Columbus hosts Inter Miami.

The Crew has had the option of holding a match in Cleveland since the Haslam Sports Group took over the franchise in 2019. The Haslams also own the Browns.

"This is a unique moment in time with Messi where we can fill the building and ensure that the first experience that Northeast Ohio has with the Columbus Crew is in a packed house," said Josh Glessing, the Haslam Sports Group's chief of strategy development who is also the Crew's president of business operations.

It will be the 11th match in MLS that Messi has played in an NFL stadium since he arrived in Miami in 2023 after captaining Argentina to the 2022 World Cup title. It is the second time that a club has moved it to a larger facility. The previous matches - nine regular season and one playoff - averaged 61,507 fans.

Last year, Sporting Kansas City drew 72,610 when they played Inter Miami at Arrowhead Stadium instead of their home field, which has a capacity of 18,467.

Atlanta United, Charlotte FC, the Chicago Fire and New England Revolution play in NFL facilities. Last Sunday's scoreless draw at Chicago's Soldier Field had a crowd of 62,358, a single-game record for the Fire.

The Crew expect to set a single-game record, surpassing the 31,550 it drew for a 1996 match at Ohio Stadium against the New York-New Jersey MetroStars.

"For Inter Miami to travel around Major League Soccer and for us to be able to take that game into big stadiums and sell them out speaks to the impact he has on Major League Soccer and on the sport. But there's also an exciting legacy impact that I don't think a lot of people have realized yet,” MLS executive vice president Camilo Durana said.

Cleveland and Northeast Ohio do have a soccer history of their own. The Force of the defunct Major Indoor Soccer League was one of the top-drawing teams during the league's heyday in the 1980s.

Recently, the region has been fertile ground for youth and club teams. The University of Akron won the Division I NCAA men's soccer title in 2010, was a finalist in 2018, and has reached the College Cup final four six times.

The Zips have sent many players to MLS, including Crew midfielder Darlington Nagbe.

Cleveland was in the running for an NWSL expansion team. After those efforts fell short, a local group this week announced its plans to field a club in WPSL Pro, a Division II and feeder league for NWSL.

Huntington Bank Field has hosted U.S. men's and women's national team matches, including two CONCACAF Gold Cup doubleheaders.

Columbus is one of the original members of Major League Soccer but has found itself in competition with fans in Ohio since FC Cincinnati began play in 2016 and joined MLS three years later.

"We think it's got a real half-life with the Crew in Columbus. If we can do this right, we can create new fans in Cleveland," Glessing said. "We hope that these people are going to travel to Columbus in the future to engage with the Crew there because they've been exposed to something new for the first time."

Besides Messi's fanfare, it is a matchup between MLS's only two unbeaten teams. The Crew (5-0-3) lead the Eastern Conference with 18 points while Inter Miami (4-0-3) has played one fewer match and sits in fourth place with 15 points.

Messi has three goals and two assists in four MLS matches this season. Crew midfielder Sean Zawadzki, who grew up in Olmsted Falls, is excited for the opportunity to play in front of hometown fans.

"To me, it means a lot," Zawadzki said. "It's a place I've grown up going to, supporting the Browns and other teams in Cleveland. So to be there, closer to family and friends, obviously is a big part for me. So I'm just really looking forward to the game."