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Lionel Messi's Inter Miami is hoping to spoil the Colorado Rapids' 30th anniversary celebration Saturday in a rare MLS game at Empower Field. 

Why it matters: Stopping the diminutive Argentine — who is making his Colorado debut in the MLS  — won't be easy. 

Still, Rapids fans are rabid for an early-season victory against, arguably, soccer's biggest superstar.

The intrigue: Messi has been known to miss many regular-season games, though there's no indication he won't take the field in Denver. 

State of play: The Rapids enter Saturday's showdown fresh off a 6-2 trashing over the Houston Dynamo FC on April 11, and sit in sixth place in the Western Conference. 

Inter Miami is in third place in the Eastern Conference after tying its last two league games, but lost its head coach, Javier Mascherano, on Tuesday. 

The big picture: Saturday's matchup will mark the second pro soccer game at Empower Field in as many months, after Denver Summit FC drew a record crowd to the NFL stadium in March.

The Rapids have sold more than 60,000 tickets for Saturday's game, meaning they're within reach of the team's record attendance: 61,213 on July 4, 2002, against the Chicago Fire, per the club. 

What to watch: Brazilian forward Rafael Navarro leads Colorado in scoring, netting five goals in seven league games.

Inter Miami's star-studded roster includes Uruguayan striker Luis Suárez and Messi's Argentine teammate, midfielder Rodrigo De Paul. 

By the numbers: Oddsmakers place Colorado as an underdog, per DraftKings.

What's next: Saturday's game airs at 2:30pm on Apple TV. 

Tickets start at about $80 on the secondary market. 

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that the Rapid's attendance record is 61,213 (not 59,500).

Rapids aim for anniversary win over Messi's Miami

It's the first time Messi will play an MLS game in Colorado.

Soccer match: a player in a pink kit runs toward the ball while a maroon-clad opponent chases from the right; another maroon player is in the background on a green pitch.

Lionel Messi plays against the Colorado Rapids at DRV PNK Stadium in 2024 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Photo: Megan Briggs/Getty Images

Lionel Messi&#x27;s Inter Miami is hoping to spoil the Colorado Rapids&#x27; 30th anniversary celebration Saturday in a rare MLS <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="game at Empower Field." data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2025/12/18/rapids-inter-miami-lionel-messi-empower-field" data-vars-content-id="3ae11978-347c-4172-84fe-a39941259342" data-vars-headline="Rapids aim for anniversary win over Messi&#x27;s Miami" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2025/12/18/rapids-inter-miami-lionel-messi-empower-field" target="_self">game at Empower Field.</a> Why it matters: Stopping the diminutive Argentine — who is making his Colorado debut in the MLS — won&#x27;t be easy.

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Data: Heatmap News, OEDI, EIA, HUD, U.S. Census; Map: Erin Davis/Axios Visuals

Denver residents are spending an estimated $95 a month on their home electric bills, per a new Axios analysis of data collected and shared by climate newsroom Heatmap News.

The big picture: Americans are projected to spend an average of $158 a month on household electricity.

Zoom in: Moffat County in northwest Colorado had the lowest average estimate ($85) in the state, while Washington County in the Eastern Plains recorded the highest ($130).

Between the lines: Rising energy costs and the surge in power-hungry AI data centers are emerging as a key political issue heading into this year's midterms.

Americans are also paying more for other forms of energy, like auto gas, amid the Iran war.

Zoom out: Nantucket County, Massachusetts ($296); San Francisco County, California ($282); and Nobles County, Minnesota ($273) had the highest estimated average monthly electric bills in the continental U.S. in 2025.

Go deeper: America's highest electric bills

Colorado's electricity bills are lower than the national average

Americans are projected to spend an average of $158 a month on household electricity.

an illustration of a one dollar bill with a lightning bolt cut out of the middle

Denver residents are spending an estimated $95 a month on their home electric bills, per a new Axios analysis of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="data" data-vars-click-url="https://electricity.heatmap.news/" data-vars-content-id="425342a1-f75a-45b2-8b41-9744d020dc51" data-vars-headline="Colorado&#x27;s electricity bills are lower than the national average" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://electricity.heatmap.news/" target="_blank">data</a> collected and shared by climate newsroom Heatmap News.The big picture: Americans are projected to spend an average of $158 a month on household electricity.

News

After multiple delays, Denver inched closer to rolling out its new shared scooter and e-bike program with Veo, which wants to deploy its sizable fleet onto city streets.

Why it matters: The Denver City Council delayed the deal over concerns, including that the switch could disrupt service for low-income riders.

Driving the news: The new contract will make rides cheaper, more accessible and more flexible for low-income residents, the city's transportation department says.

By the numbers: Veo will pay the city $245 per permitted vehicle, with a proposed 9,000-unit fleet including five models that would generate roughly $2.2 million annually.

Riders will pay $1 to unlock a vehicle and 25 cents a minute. Income-qualified riders will get a bigger discount, including 60 free minutes per day, then 15 cents per minute afterward.

How it works: If approved, the deal would allow Veo to start deploying its e-bikes and scooters on May 1.

The contract will overlap with Lime and Bird's current agreement, which expires May 16, though city officials say they're working to ensure it doesn't result in city streets littered with vehicles from three vendors.

Veo's competitor suggests the vendor changeover could disrupt rides for work and access to essential services, per a February statement from Zach Williams, regional head of government relations at Lime.

Between the lines: City staff on Wednesday said Veo riders can immediately use its "access" discount program, which offers free and reduced fares to qualifying users, including those already enrolled in Bird and Lime's low-income programs.

More than 1,300 people have already signed up for Veo's program, DOTI strategic adviser Alaina McWhorter said Wednesday.

Caveat: While riders can initially self-certify, eventually they'll need to verify their eligibility to ensure they can continue receiving the benefit.

What's next: A final vote from the council is expected April 27.

Denver advances proposed e-scooter contract

The contract with Veo starts May 1, replacing Bird and Lime.

Illustration of a man on a scooter moving out of frame

After multiple delays, Denver inched closer to rolling out its new shared scooter and e-bike program with Veo, which wants to deploy its sizable fleet onto city streets.Why it matters: The Denver City Council delayed the deal over concerns, including that the switch could disrupt <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="service for low-income riders" data-vars-click-url="https://denverite.com/2026/04/01/denver-veo-scooter-contract-delayed-again/" data-vars-content-id="4805b833-2e4f-4c56-97c2-9c4c5cee5903" data-vars-headline="Denver advances proposed e-scooter contract" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://denverite.com/2026/04/01/denver-veo-scooter-contract-delayed-again/" target="_blank">service for low-income riders</a>.

Transit

If you can't score playoff tickets for the Colorado Avalanche or Denver Nuggets, the teams are offering the next best thing just outside Ball Arena.

The big picture: Chopper Circle will close between 9th and 11th streets during Avs and Nuggets home playoff games, making room for a free expanded fan zone and a live game viewing area.

The Nuggets zone will be dubbed Base Camp 5280, while the Avs section will be called Avs Alley.

How it works: The areas will open two hours before scheduled start times for home playoff games, and feature a 20-foot video board, a DJ, food trucks, alcoholic beverages, plus giveaways, mascots and dance team appearances.

It'll be free for the first two playoff rounds, though you still have to get a ticket to enter. You'll pay an admission fee for the NBA Finals or Stanley Cup final.

Between the lines: You can still grab fan zone passes for the second Avs playoff matchup (an opponent hasn't been announced yet). 

Passes are already sold out for the Nuggets against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday, but additional ticket batches will be released in advance and on gamedays as space allows, a team representative tells us. 

A new playoff fan zone is coming outside Ball Arena

The fan zone will feature a 20-foot video board, a DJ and food trucks.

Nighttime crowd of excited fans cheering, holding up smartphones with lights. Many wear sports jerseys; city lights and a tall building glow in the background.

Denver Nugget fans celebrate outside Ball Arena during the 2023 NBA Finals. Photo: RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images

If you can&#x27;t score playoff tickets for the Colorado Avalanche or Denver Nuggets, the teams are offering the next best thing just outside Ball Arena.The big picture: Chopper Circle will close between 9th and 11th streets during Avs and Nuggets home playoff games, making room for a free expanded fan zone and a live game viewing area.

Colorado's getting a special gift for its 150th anniversary — and it's tied to the country's own 250th celebration this year.

Zoom in: The Freedom Plane National Tour will stop at History Colorado Center in Denver starting May 28 and make foundational documents available for public viewing for the first time.

Reservations to see the exhibition opened this week.

Why it matters: Denver's one of only eight cities on the tour. Museum staff call it a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see rare documents.

What to expect: A 1787 secret printing of a draft U.S. Constitution, an 1823 original engraving of the Declaration of Independence, and a 1787 tally of votes approving the Constitution are among the documents in the exhibition.

These historic artifacts haven't traveled together outside Washington D.C., before, the museum said in a statement.

"These documents embody the revolutionary idea that we are a nation bound together by shared ideals," Dawn DiPrince, the president and CEO of History Colorado, said in a statement.

If you go: The exhibition is free, but you'll need to reserve a slot online. It runs until June 14.

A free exhibition in Denver will display founding documents

The traveling exhibition will make eight stops to commemorate the country's 250th birthday.

A group of museum visitors leans over a glass display case, studying illuminated panels. A woman with dark hair uses a smartphone while a child and several adults observe in a bright, ornate hall.

Documents carried by the Freedom Plane on display at the National WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City. Photo: Courtesy of the National Archives

Colorado&#x27;s getting a special gift <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="for its 150th anniversary" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2026/01/06/new-stamp-celebrates-colorado-150-birthday" data-vars-content-id="cdf56611-b314-4ea6-b8c7-5198b4faae8c" data-vars-headline="A free exhibition in Denver will display founding documents" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2026/01/06/new-stamp-celebrates-colorado-150-birthday" target="_self">for its 150th anniversary</a> — and it&#x27;s tied to the country&#x27;s own 250th celebration this year.Zoom in: The Freedom Plane National Tour will stop at History Colorado Center in Denver starting May 28 and make foundational documents available for public viewing for the first time.

Culture

A choropleth map showing the estimated average 2025 monthly electric bill by U.S. county. The national average is estimated to be $158 per month. Some areas have averages above $200 per month, like Alabama, Texas and California. States in the Mountain West tend to have the lowest average bills, at $100 or less.

Esteban L. Hernandez

Featured stories

A free exhibition in Denver will display founding documents

A new playoff fan zone is coming outside Ball Arena

Denver advances proposed e-scooter contract

Rapids aim for anniversary win over Messi's Miami

Colorado's electricity bills are lower than the national average