‘Score be damned:’ Fans relish the opportunity to see the GOAT, Lionel Messi, in Philly

If there were casual fans in the building Tuesday night at Subaru Park, they were pretty difficult to spot.

Well, for starters, if they were casual and were fortunate enough to have the golden ticket to Messi Mania, the story goes that they most likely decided to skip the match and make a small fortune in the secondary ticket market by selling their seats instead.

Ask anyone who was there.

For one who found the Union in a semifinal matchup against Inter Miami for a berth in the newly expanded Leagues Cup tournament, there were two factions evident within the 19,778 people in attendance: Union diehards and lovers of arguably the world’s greatest player, Lionel Messi.

Proof of the latter arrived in the waning minutes of the second half when one fan was arrested by Chester police after charging the field — all for the chance of being within touching distance of Messi. The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner as the best player in the world has scored nine goals, including one Tuesday against the Union, in just six appearances since arriving in Major League Soccer.

» READ MORE: Lionel Messi’s first visit to Philadelphia delivers thrills in a dominant win over the Union

For thousands of fans who chose not to charge the pitch, being in the building was enough — and for some, the exorbitant cost just to be there still was worth the price of admission.

“Tonight was incredible, just for the atmosphere,” Majer said. “I mean, just take Messi out of it, there are people here from all walks of life. I met people from Argentina, and, you know, it’s really cool to see everyone together. Obviously, this is not the result I wanted, but I think it was really great to feel the energy in this place.”

“This experience was absolutely mind-blowing, and it’s great for me because I am a Union fan, I am a Messi fan, and I am a [Miami defender DeAndre] Yedlin fan,” Griffin said. “Seeing Messi, where we are literally feet from seeing him, is just amazing. Messi is a household name for us in our family, and I never thought I’d get a chance to see him in our hometown. I never in a million years think that I’d get to see the GOAT.”

“It’s been my dream to see Messi play in person,” Arenas said. “This has brought me so much joy. I have wanted to do this for so many years, and now it’s been possible. I traveled from New York to Philadelphia, and I was excited to stay here. I got to see the best player in the world; there are people like me who love him and can’t say that, so I feel very fortunate.

» READ MORE: Lionel Messi’s top 10 career moments from Barcelona to Argentina

“I remember when he played a match in Colombia when he was like 17 years old, and we knew he was going to be a great player. He means so much to so many communities. I paid a lot, but it doesn’t matter. He’s playing in New York next week, but I would’ve never been able to see him there, so this was a great opportunity that was also a great experience.”

“I don’t care about no [expletive] Messi, I wanted to see the Union win this one,” said the former Eagle. “I’m a Union fan. I was hoping we came out and fed [Messi] a giant crap sandwich tonight. The guys just aren’t playing like they normally do; I don’t know what it is. I think we played hesitant, starstruck.

“Look, let’s keep it real. This Miami team [stinks]. The only reason why anyone cares is because they have ‘the GOAT’ We shouldn’t have played scared, and we would’ve kicked their [expletive]. Messi has been on a tear, and all the hype is around Miami right now, but I really wanted us to be the team stop his [expletive], but what can you do? On to the next one.”