Lionel Messi’s Return to Inter Miami Ends with Injury
- Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA – Lionel Messi returned to Inter Miami’s lineup on Wednesday. The return was momentous, but the team knew they had to respond without their star player.
- The Argentine star, in the 37th minute of the match against Toronto, showed signs of injury and left the field after a few minutes.
- Without him, Miami went on to crush the Canadian team 4-0, securing the five points needed to make the playoffs in the MLS Eastern Conference.
- Robert Taylor, who replaced Messi, scored two goals and provided an assist. However, Messi’s uncertain condition cast a shadow on the victory.
- Messi stretched during the match to the point where he finally took off his captain’s armband and waited for the game to end so he could be substituted.
- He didn’t wait to take off his shoes, lower his socks, or go to court to remove the shin guards.
- The 36-year-old star had been sidelined for a few days, one with his club and the other with his national team.
- He rested during the World Cup qualifying match that Argentina won against Bolivia on September 12, and in a match where Inter lost 5-2 to Atlanta United last Saturday.
- In both cases, fatigue was attributed to his absence. Messi did not speak to the press.
- Now, it seems that Argentina’s number 10, a seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, is struggling with some form of injury. The match ended without any goals in Messi’s place. After spending a few minutes on the bench, he left for the locker room before halftime.
- This was the first of the six games played by the Florida team in 17 days. Miami will play Orlando in Orlando on Sunday before hosting Houston’s U.S. Open Cup final on September 27.
- After that, there will be three more MLS matches: against New York City FC on September 30, Chicago on October 4, and Cincinnati on October 7.
- With Messi’s unavailability looming, this series now appears to be more challenging. For now, Martino said that the star striker will be absent from the Orlando game.
- “We’re going step by step,” Martino said. “We’re getting comfortable day by day. We have a final in a few days, but there’s no way he’ll set foot on the field without being fit. We’ll see,” Martino added.
- Inter trailed DC United, which is the last team to provide tickets for the Eastern Conference Playoffs, after a 1-1 draw with Atlanta United following Gabriel Pereyra’s goal, which he scored against Inter.
- Miami has two games left.
- In other games, Cucho Hernandez of Colombia scored three goals in the first 23 minutes, and Columbus Crew secured their place in the playoffs by defeating Chicago Fire 3-0. Hernandez is the second hat-trick scorer in the last three matches.
- Orlando City defeated New York City FC 2-0 with a victory, securing their ticket for the post-season.
- MLS leader Cincinnati drew 1-1 with Montreal, with Argentina’s Luciano Acosta changing the penalty in stoppage time. Portland Timbers defeated San Jose Earthquakes 2-1 with a goal from Paraguay’s Cristian Paredes.
- Austin drew 1-1 with LA Galaxy thanks to Sebastian Driussi’s goal from Argentina. Nashville ended Sporting Kansas City’s seven-game winning streak with a 3-0 win without any victory in eight games.
- Houston Dynamo lost 4-1 to Vancouver Whitecaps with Mexican Hector Herrera’s goal. Los Angeles Galaxy defeated Minnesota 4-3 with Uruguayan Diego Fagundez’s goal in the 82nd minute. Heading: Results of Recent MLS Matches
- Seattle Sounders defeated Colorado Rapids 2-1.
- Philadelphia Union had a 2-2 draw against Charlotte.
- Dallas defeated Real Salt Lake 3-1.
- Los Angeles FC played a goalless draw against St. Louis.
Messi’s Return and Subsequent Injuries
Lionel Messi was substituted during Inter Miami CF’s 4-0 victory against Toronto FC on Wednesday. Messi and former Barcelona teammate Jordi Alba both left the field in the 37th minute due to muscle fatigue, just minutes after Barcelona’s previous teammate, Jordi Alba, had also left the field. Inter Miami coach, Gerard Martino, mentioned that Messi and Alba would be assessed in the coming days. However, it’s unlikely that any player will be available to play against Orlando City in the U.S. Open Cup final next Wednesday.
Martino stated, “There is no possibility that they will be there on Sunday. I know that we have [the final on Wednesday], but if they can’t play, they won’t go there.” Messi and Alba, who both started in Atlanta United FC’s 5-2 loss last Sunday, didn’t seem to be involved in any specific challenges or apparent limping but appeared to be dealing with some form of physical discomfort.
Martino mentioned through a translator, “They trained as usual, and we felt they were ready to play.” “I don’t think this is anything new or worse than what they had before. It’s fatigue. We don’t think it’s a muscle injury. It’s also a mental issue that I have been dealing with right now with him [Messi]. But we have to continue. Stay vigilant, and we’ll see them in the next few days.”
Both players went straight to the bench after coming out of the field instead of going to the locker room, and Inter Miami’s Federico Higuain scored in the 51st minute after a few minutes to give the home team a 1-0 lead. Then, Robert Thaler scored two excellent goals from both sides of Benjamin Krikke’s strike in the second half to secure three points.
Messi initially appeared mobile and was awarded a golden opportunity in the 23rd minute when a cross from the right wing found him unmarked close to the goal. However, 15 minutes later, it was clear that Argentina was struggling with some physical issues, and Thaler took his place.
Alba had left the field just four minutes before Messi. Toronto made a pair of substitutions before the Miami pair left the game, with another former Barcelona youth player, Victor Vazquez, coming in 12 minutes into the game. The substitute, Brendan Aaronson, received help just 14 minutes later after an apparent knee injury.
Before exiting, Messi spent a few minutes dealing with cramps. He was stretching his right leg during the match, then eventually wrapped his captain’s armband around his arm and waited for the game to end so he could be substituted – not before leaving the field, not to go to the locker room, but straight to the bench. Messi joined Miami for 11 matches on Wednesday, most of them in the Leagues Cup and U.S. Open Cup. In his first 11 appearances, he had 11 goals and five assists, including one goal in two MLS matches.
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