Five minutes had not elapsed before chants of “We want Messi!” rolled around the stadium.
The swell of disapproval for Tata Martino’s starting XI rose again in the seventh and tenth minute of the first game that Lionel Messi began on the bench for Inter Miami since making his debut. In that particular fixture against the New York Red Bulls, Messi emerged in the second half to mark his Major League Soccer debut with an outrageous goal that was worth the wait. Two months on and it remains the only strike of Messi’s MLS career.
Injury and international commitment have beset the Argentine over the subsequent weeks, limiting Messi to just three starts in the US top flight.
Miami’s playoff aspirations may have been extinguished in Messi’s absence but fans could get one last chance to see their talismanic captain don a pink shirt in a competitive fixture this year.
The Herons complete the regular season with a trip to Charlotte on Saturday 21 October. Here’s everything you need to know about Messi’s availability for the fixture.
The first signs of a nagging hamstring injury flickered in the closing stages of Argentina’s 1-0 win over Ecuador during the September international break. After deciding the game with a trademark free kick, Lionel Scaloni uncharacteristically removed Messi before the final whistle, later quashing any concerns with talk of fatigue.
However, the World Cup-winning captain did not make the squad for Argentina’s next qualifier against Bolivia four days later, watching on from the bench. Messi missed six of Miami’s seven matches between the first weekends of September and October, with the only exception being a start against Toronto which was curtailed after 37 minutes due to muscular discomfort.
Just as another international window rolled into view, Messi was deemed fit enough for a half-hour cameo against FC Cincinnati at the start of October. Scaloni resisted the urge to start his star man against Paraguay this month but reaped the rewards of Messi’s involvement on Argentina‘s trip to Lima.
Messi delivered the devastating contribution while playing the full 90 minutes in a 2-0 win. Peru’s befuddled coach Juan Reynoso sighed: “Any other player does not score the two goals that Messi scored against us.”
Catching a flight to Charlotte 👋✈️ pic.twitter.com/S67pPLNvQU
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) October 20, 2023
Messi’s masterclass against Peru finished less than 24 hours before Miami kicked off against Charlotte for the club’s final home game of the year. Messi managed to make it to the DRV PNK Stadium to see Robbie Robinson come off the bench and snatch an 84th-minute equaliser but was never likely to get on the pitch himself.
However, Inter Miami‘s official X account teased Messi’s involvement in the trip to North Carolina this weekend with a picture of the Argentine boarding the team plane. Messi’s former Barcelona teammates Jordi Alba (only recently back from injury himself) and Sergio Busquets were also snapped together with first-choice goalkeeper Drake Callender.
No matter how much magic Messi can muster, Miami are guaranteed to finish second-bottom in the Eastern Conference with a losing record. Charlotte, by contrast, still foster hopes of sneaking into the playoffs but need to win on Saturday night.
While the vast majority of the watching public will be hoping for Messi’s involvement, those of a Charlotte persuasion certainly won’t. Messi is yet to lose an Inter Miami match which he has started.
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