The Messi Cup is back, and it's twice the size.
The second edition of Lionel Messi's under-16 tournament kicked off on Sunday, Oct. 25, at Inter Miami's stadium in Fort Lauderdale. Messi opened the tournament himself. Sixteen academies from nine countries are in the field, up from eight at last December's first edition.
Day one
The biggest result of the opening day was Boca Juniors' 3-0 win over Manchester City. Newell's Old Boys, Messi's boyhood club, beat Arsenal 1-0. Defending champions River Plate drew 0-0 with Chelsea.
Argentine clubs had the best of day one, which won't surprise anyone who watched River win the first edition with a 2-0 final over Atlético Madrid.
Messi's message
Messi told the players to enjoy the experience beyond the scoreboard: compete, make friends and learn from other cultures. He then watched matches from the stands with Rodrigo De Paul and his sons Thiago and Mateo.
The groups
Group A: River Plate, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Ajax
Group B: Palmeiras, Newell's Old Boys, Arsenal, Barcelona
Group C: Inter Miami, Atlético Madrid, Benfica, Independiente del Valle
Group D: Flamengo, Boca Juniors, Manchester City, UE Cornellà
Inter Miami's path
The host academy's U-16s opened Group C on Sunday against Ecuador's Independiente del Valle, one of South America's best development clubs. Next up are Benfica on Monday at 4:30 p.m. ET and Atlético Madrid on Tuesday at 3 p.m. ET.
The top two teams in each group reach Wednesday's quarterfinals. The semifinals are Saturday, Oct. 31, and the final is Sunday, Nov. 1, at Inter Miami's stadium.
For American players, this is as close as it gets to a World Cup at U-16. Inter Miami's academy finished sixth last year. With a group that includes Benfica and Atlético, getting out of it will take a statement week.
