How to watch Lionel Messi, Inter Miami: Live stream Herons vs. Columbus Crew, odds, where to watch

As the Columbus Crew push closer to the top of the Eastern Conference, they'll have quite the clash in hosting Inter Miami. The match will take place at FirstEnergy Stadium, home of the Cleveland Browns, instead of Lower.com Field due to the stadium being able to hold upward of 60,000 fans.

With Lionel Messi coming to town, teams are still making sure to get as many fans in the building as possible but it makes even more sense for these two teams to play there. They've had epic clashes in the league and in Leagues Cup play with both also fighting for top positions in the conference.

Under Wilfried Nancy, the Crew have become one of the best teams in all of MLS and new signing Daniel Gazdag could also make his full debut for the team in this match as the Crew look to stay atop the Eastern Conference and keep pace with the Vancouver Whitecaps in the Supporters' Shield standings.

Here are storylines, how you can watch the match and more:

How to watch Columbus Crew vs. Inter Miami, odds

• Date: Saturday, April 19 | Time: 4:30 p.m. ET
• Location: FirstEnergy Stadium -- Cleveland, Ohio
• Live stream: MLS Season Pass
• Odds: Columbus Crew +125; Drwa +280; Inter Miami +185

Last meeting

These teams last met in October of 2024, as the MLS regular season was coming to a close, and it was quite a clash. The Herons would win that match 2-3 but after Lionel Messi secured a brace in the first half with goals in the 45th and 50th minute of play, the Crew would wake up to push back with goals from Diego Rossi and Cucho Hernandez. Luis Suarez ended up making the difference with a goal of his own

What's at stake

It may feel like this is just another early-season MLS match, but with Miami's massive comeback in the Concacaf Champions Cup to down Los Angeles FC before this match, it does feel much more meaningful than most April fixtures do. The Herons have a game in hand in the race for the top of the East, but they're also still behind the Crew for first, even if they do win that without a victory in Cleveland. With the Crew adding more firepower to their attack and Miami coming off a draw with the Chicago Fire, this is for Eastern Conference supremacy.

Side story to watch

Gazdag's potential starting debut: The Crew spent $4.5 million to acquire Gazdag from the Philadelphia Union to help replace the loss of production from Hernandez. Gazdag departs the Union as their all-time leading goal scorer with 59 goals, and the Hungarian has helped lead them to an MLS Cup appearance. He came off the bench and was almost involved in a goal during the Crew's match against St. Louis City SC and it could set him up to start this match against the Herons.

Predicted lineups

Columbus Crew: Patrick Schulte, Mohamed Farsi, Steven Moriera, Sean Zawadzki, Malte Admunsen, Daniel Gazdag, Darlington Nagbe, Dylan Chambost, Diego Rossi, Jacen Russell-Rowe, Max Arfsten

Inter Miami: Oscar Ustari, Jordi Alba, Noah Allen, Maximiliano Falcon, Marcelo Weigandt, Sergio Busquets, Telasco Segovia, Yannick Bright, Tadeo Allende, Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi

Player to watch

Lionel Messi, Inter Miami: There isn't a particular game that Messi suits up for where he isn't the player to watch, but these games in larger stadiums can be interesting tests for teams. Columbus have an excellent home atmosphere, but with more than 60,000 fans expected for the match, will it actually feel like a home game for Inter Miami? The Messi effect has waned slightly, but people do come out to see one of the greatest soccer players ever play the game, and making it a bigger occasion than average will have a chance to backfire on the Crew. Messi hasn't had back-to-back games without a goal contribution this season, so it'll be interesting to see if the Crew can be the team to change that.

Storyline to watch

Can the Crew get another over on the Herons?: After knocking Inter Miami out of the Leagues Cup last season, Nancy and the Crew were able to show that a team effort can be more important than having the biggest star in the world. Miami got one back en route to setting a single-season points record with 74, but if the Crew can keep up their current pace, that record could be toppled this season, so it'll be a fun race between them.

Prediction

In his first start for the Crew, Gazdag will also score his first goal for the Crew, and even with Miami doing their best to fight back in the match, it won't be enough to change the one-goal margin that he gives his new team. This is a driven team under Nancy, and with the steps back that both Los Angeles teams have taken this season, Miami may be their biggest competition for MLS Cup. Pick: Columbus Crew 2, Inter Miami 1

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