NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — On his way to Texas, Josh Bellota asked his family to make a stop in Nashville.
"It's a beautiful stadium so I just wanted to drop by," he said while standing outside Geodis Park.
The 13-year-old wanted to see where Lionel Messi will play on Saturday.
"We don't get a ton of crazy players over here, and we got the best player in the world," said Bellota.
Messi plays for Inter Miami, which will face off against Nashville SC at Geodis Park in the Leagues Cup championship game.
Podcaster Wes Boling called it the biggest soccer match in Nashville's history.
"This is the game that people are going to be watching around the world," said Boling, the co-host of the Club and Country podcast.
"So the Leagues Cup is a tournament inside the season," said Boling. "[It's] kind of funny the way it works in soccer but it's essentially a competition that has nothing to do with Nashville's main league of Major League Soccer."
It's a dream come true for fans who've been following the team since its humble beginnings
"Soccer at the professional level started in Nashville in 2018," said Boling. "Before that, there was a semi-pro team, and literally a decade ago a group of fans got together, put 75 bucks each in a hat and said let's start a team."
One of those fans was Scott Sprouse, a board member Nashville supporters group called The Assembly. He is also on the board of the Supporters Collective.
"And little did we know that a few years later we'd be in the MLS and be facing the greatest player in the world at home," Sprouse said.
He has plenty of reason to celebrate.
"I will be here Saturday in section 101 — the seats that I've been in since this stadium has opened," he said.
Not only did he score a ticket to the game, he scored a bargain.
"Back in March, they said there are some potential games, and if you will commit to buying them right now, we will charge you your regular price," he said. "So in a section that's easily going for four figures, I will be going to be there for $40."
But no matter who you root for, fans are calling it a win both for Nashville SC and for the city.
"Saturday night doesn't happen without those people sitting in city council meetings or putting in $75 10 years ago for a semi-pro team and so the very same people that made that history happen are going to be uniting and gathering together at Geodis Park to help cheer Nashville on to make even more history," said Boling.
