Hurricane Helene’s effect on MLS: Storm could impact Lionel Messi, Inter Miami this weekend

Hurricane Helene is already throwing the sports world into chaos this weekend, and Major League Soccer is no exception.

The hurricane formed on Tuesday in the Caribbean, and it’s expected to approach Florida and the Gulf Coast by late Thursday night. As of Wednesday afternoon, it is expected to travel up through the Florida panhandle and then move into Alabama and Georgia by Friday morning before stalling out over Tennessee and Kentucky near St. Louis on Saturday. It is expected to make landfall in Florida as a Category 4 hurricane, which could bring a “catastrophic” storm surge.

There are plenty of college and NFL games that could be impacted this weekend, and Major League Baseball already postponed a pair of games due to the storm. There are also two MLS games that are in the path of the storm this weekend and could be impacted.

Inter Miami vs. Charlotte FC

Date: Saturday, Sept. 28 | 7:30 p.m. ET

Location: Chase Stadium | Fort Lauderdale, Florida

While the hurricane is set to work its way up Florida’s Gulf Coast, Fort Lauderdale and the Miami region will still experience a good chunk of the storm in the coming days. That could very easily impact Miami’s match with Charlotte that is set for Saturday night.

Florida has declared a state of emergency in 61 counties in preparation for the storm. While that region of South Florida may be the only part of the state that doesn’t see much of a storm surge, Fort Lauderdale will get a significant amount of rain that could lead to travel issues and may result in the match being postponed.

St. Louis City SC vs. Sporting KC

Date: Saturday, Sept. 28 | 8:30 p.m. ET

Location: CITYPARK | St. Louis, Missouri

Though the hurricane will have dissipated by then, projections on Wednesday have the storm ending right around the St. Louis area on Saturday morning. By that point, it’s likely that the region is just hit with rain and a few storms at most. That may not lead to the match between St. Louis and Kansas City being postponed, but it may have to be played in the rain.