Bengals stars Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase root FC Cincinnati against Lionel Messi and Inter Miami during the US Open Cup semifinals
- Lionel Messi and Inter Miami faced FC Cincinnati in the semifinals of the US Open Cup
- Joe Burrow and his teammates were in attendance prior to the NFL season
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The Bengals were home Wednesday night to watch the GOAT as NFL stars Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase attended Inter Miami’s US Open Cup semifinal match against FC Cincinnati.
Lionel Messi and co. returned to action on Wednesday night as they faced the MLS leaders just four days after lifting the club’s first ever trophy in the Leagues Cup final.
However, star quarterback Burrow and teammates Chase, Sam Hubbard, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd were not there to cheer on the World Cup winner. Instead, they rooted against him.
The Cincinnati players supported their city’s football team, donning FC Cincinnati shirts as they watched from the sidelines.
There’s more at stake than a spot in the finals for Cincinnati, with the team currently leading the MLS Supporter’s Shield (team with the highest points score), in top position for the MLS Cup playoffs and two wins at a US Open Cup.
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow watched Lionel Messi and co. Wednesday night
Burrow and his Bengals teammates argued for FC Cincinnati against Inter Miami
The treble was never reached and Burrow and co. were there to hopefully watch their neighboring sports stars get closer to history before their own season started.
The Cincinnati Bengals open their NFL season against the Cleveland Browns on September 10.
Burrow shocked the organization last month on July 27 when he was taken away during training and ruled out for ‘several weeks’.
Burrow could miss the start of the regular season bHow many games is the question.
Chase, who attended the football semifinals with his signal caller on Wednesday, recently said he’s fine with Burrow being sidelined through Week 5, if only to make sure he’s completely healthy.
“I want Joe to be at his healthiest when it’s time to play, when it’s time to matter,” Chase clarified Tuesday. “I don’t want him to take false steps and not 100 percent. … I never really told him to stay out until week 5. I just said take as much time as you need.’
The Bengals aren’t the only athletes who have flocked to soccer games since his move to Inter Miami to catch a glimpse of Messi.
Sam Hubbard, Tee Higgins, Ja’Marr Chase and Tyler Boyd joined the signal caller
Lionel Messi and co. faced the MLS leaders just four days after winning the club’s first trophy
Tennis legend Serena Williams and NBA superstar LeBron James have attended Leagues Cups games at DRV PNK Stadium.
Meanwhile, Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo rivaled the soccer superstar ahead of the Leagues Cup Final.
The six-foot-tall Antetokounmpo, who is a minority owner in Inter Miami’s final opponent, Nashville, was hard to miss on the field before the championship game, doing television interviews and scoring a free-kick from about 30 yards out.
To celebrate his impromptu goal, Antetokounmpo did the pirouette ‘SIU’ celebration popularized by Ronaldo. Cameras didn’t seem to catch Messi’s reaction, but Antetokounmpo’s brother and teammate Thanasis responded with a laugh.