Saturday, April 4, 2026, will go down in Inter Miami history, as the inauguration of Nu Stadium turned everything pink. The ‘Herons’ finally made their home debut in a 2-2 draw against Austin FC, and as expected, the team’s first goal was scored by Lionel Messi in the 10th minute-though it wasn’t the first goal of the match.
In Week 6 of Major League Soccer, Inter Miami conceded a goal to Guilherme Biro in the 6th minute of the match, making him the first player to score at the new stadium’s opening-a trend that seems to be “the norm” in MLS and has become a true “curse” for teams.
Messi’s Inter Miami couldn’t avoid the ‘Curse’
Following his goal in the draw against Austin, he recorded his 903rd career goal and his fifth of the season, but Biro beat him to it, continuing a tradition at stadium openings: in five of the last six new stadiums inaugurated, the visiting team scored before the home team, according to Sports Illustrated.
St. Louis City’s CityPark was no exception. On March 4, 2023, Charlotte FC’s Enzo Copetti scored the first goal of the match. Although they went on to win 3-1, they couldn’t avoid conceding the opening goal.
Nashville SC also did not escape the rule when they inaugurated Geodis Park on May 1, 2022, against Philadelphia Union. Mikael Uhre scored the first goal of the match, which would end in a 1-1 draw thanks to Randall’s goal for the hosts.
Going back a bit further in time, on July 3, 2021, the Columbus Crew’s ScottsMiracle-Gro Field (formerly Lower.com Field) was inaugurated with a goal by Tajon Buchanan of the New England Revolution in a 2-2 draw.
Austin’s Q2 Stadium has a special history and may have “avoided” this curse. Its opening wasn’t an MLS match, but a friendly between the United States and Nigeria, where Christen Press scored the first goal on June 16, 2021. Later, in the MLS, Austin and the San Jose Earthquakes played to a scoreless draw. Austin FC’s Jon Gallagher scored the first goal in the stadium’s history, but it came after two scoreless draws.
Finally, TQL Stadium, home of FC Cincinnati, opened with a loss for the home team on May 16, 2021, in a match where Inter Miami won 3-2 and Brek Shea scored the first goal in the stadium’s history in the 7th minute.
Meanwhile, following the opening of Un Stadium, Inter Miami will once again host RB New York at home on Saturday, April 11, for an MLS match, before traveling to face Colorado at Empower Field at Mile High on the 18th.
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