Take Lionel Messi’s goal out of the conversation; Ian Glavinovich has shown why the Union signed him

After shaking off an early-season hamstring injury, the centerback has played himself into a starting role that appears to be a mainstay.

Defender Ian Glavinovich has been the security blanket the Union hoped he'd be when they signed him in the offseason. Read moreYong Kim / Staff Photographer

by Jonathan Tannenwald

Published April 4, 2025, 12:25 p.m. ET

It was no surprise that Ian Glavinovich wanted to play against Lionel Messi.

Any soccer player would want to share a field with one of the all-time greats of the sport.. But it means even more for a fellow Argentine, especially one who grew up at the same club where Messi started his career.

Glavinovich was in the stands when Messi returned to Rosario’s Newell’s Old Boys for an exhibition in June 2023. Eight months later, he played in an exhibition against Messi, an Inter Miami preseason tuneup that brought Newell’s to South Florida.

Last Saturday, Glavinovich got to play against Messi in a real game for the first time after Messi subbed into the Union’s visit to Inter Miami early in the second half.

Two minutes later, Messi beat Glavinovich one-on-one and scored the goal that ended up decisive in the 2-1 loss.

So, Glavinovich was asked this week: “You said you wanted to play against Messi?”

He got the point and the intended humor that came with it.

“Messi is Messi,” he said. “I couldn’t do much [at] the moment. You can analyze it later, but in the moment, you have to make fast decisions.”

Of course, Glavinovich is far from Messi’s first victim. They’ve come in all shapes and sizes over his 20-year career: from MLS to the Spanish and French leagues, the Champions League, the World Cup, and more.

“He’s so fast with the ball,” Glavinovich said of Messi, whose artistry remains elite at age 37. “I wanted to block the left side, his strong foot, and on the first dribble, I got myself in a bad position. So he got the advantage on me and beat me there.”

You might also like to know that while Messi has scored in every game he has played against the Union, it’s not the MLS team he has scored on the most. He has dropped five on Atlanta, Nashville, and New England, with two assists against the first two and one against the third. The rankings might change more before Miami visits Subaru Park over Memorial Day weekend.

In the meantime, the Union can continue showing why they’re second in the Eastern Conference (4-2-0, 12 points), starting with their hosting of Orlando City on Saturday (7:30 p.m., Apple TV). And Glavinovich can keep showing why he has quickly earned a starting role after shaking off an early-season hamstring injury.

“I like this style,” he said. “I’m used to playing like this. In Argentina, I did similar things, so in some senses, I do fit. But I still think I need to adapt some to the system – it’s a little different.”

That system has always included a close partnership between the centerbacks, whether with Jim Curtin or Bradley Carnell as manager. It requires chemistry and a constant understanding of where each other is. In a system that likes to press higher up the pitch early and often, that can be anywhere on the field, especially with how far Jakob Glesnes often advances.

“I think it’s been easy [to get used to that],” Glavinovich said. “I’m maybe the one that needs to be adjusting, to be closer to the other centerback. In Argentina, the two centerbacks usually play farther apart.”

Carnell had to wait through the first four weeks of the season for Glavinovich to start, and the Miami game was Glavinovich’s first full-game run. The performances haven’t been perfect, but they’ve been good enough.

“I think we’re getting to that threshold now where he feels comfortable week in and week out to play 90 [minutes],” Carnell said. “The medical staff have done a great job getting him back in the window of contention and competition, and now it’s just about progressing. … We signed a very aggressive, ball-playing centerback, and I think that’s what we’ve seen.”

There’s been settling in off the field, too, with a new country and a foreign language. But at least in a soccer locker room, an Argentine always brings an asset: a love of the backyard barbecue known as asado. Steak, chicken, sausage, you name it, enough to fill an open grill and a supermarket’s coffers.

A few hours of building team chemistry helps overcome the calorie count, and the players can run off the rest later.

Glavinovich said he’s a fan of skirt steak, an Argentine staple,and the picanha and vacio cuts that are familiar in steakhouses. And he already gets together in off hours with teammates, including Bruno Damiani, Jovan Lukić, Jesús Bueno, and Oliver Semmle.

Perhaps in a few weeks, Glavinovich said, he’ll make use of rising spring temperatures and have an asado gathering. Asked who will be the chef, he answered fast: “Me, always.”