What to know as Inter Miami plays last game without Messi Saturday on road vs St. Louis
Lionel Messi will not be on the CITYPARK field for Inter Miami’s Saturday night road game against St. Louis City. In fact, it is unlikely he will make the trip as his official presentation ceremony is on Sunday night at DRV PNK Stadium, a glitzy red-carpet event being billed as “The Unveil.”
But St. Louis City apparently is expecting Messi jerseys in the stands, as it sent out the following “Know Before You Go” memo to fans with tickets in the North End Supporter Section: “Opposing team gear is not allowed in the Supporter Section. It’s for CITY fans! For the July 15 match, this includes all Messi jerseys, shirts and gear – Miami, Argentina, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Newell’s Old Boys and Grandoli.”
Messi has taken South Florida by storm since his arrival on Tuesday. Gigantic murals of the Argentine star have popped up in Wynwood and downtown Miami. And Messi seems to be settling into his new life. He and his family were seen leaving Prima Pasta restaurant in Miami Beach on Wednesday and shopping for groceries at Publix on Thursday.
He also has been at the team’s Fort Lauderdale training facility, finalizing paperwork and getting to know his teammates. They certainly could use his help.
Miami is in last place in the Eastern Conference with a 5-13-3 record and 18 points, 11 points short of the playoff line. St. Louis City, a first-year expansion team, is in first place in the West at 12-8-2 with 38 points.
Saturday’s game (8:30 p.m., Apple TV) will be Miami’s first under new coach Tata Martino, who took over last week. He expects a difficult game.
Miami is coming off three ties in a row, the last one 2-2 on the road against D.C. United. Both goals were scored by local teenagers who came up through the team’s youth academy program, Benjamin Cremaschi of Key Biscayne and Noah Allen of Pembroke Pines. Four other homegrown players played in the game, as well.
Miami’s roster has been decimated due to injuries and the absence of defenders DeAndre Yedlin and Kamal Miller, who missed the past four games while on national team duty for the Gold Cup. Yedlin was playing for the United States, Miller for Canada. Both teams have been eliminated, Canada in the quarterfinals last weekend and Team USA on Wednesday in the semis. Miller will likely play, Yedlin is questionable.
Martino was impressed with the guts and grit the young players showed as they filled in for more experienced teammates.
“One of the biggest positives I have seen so far is the performance of the young guys, their commitment and how they took the responsibility,” Martino said. “We will keep evaluating the players, and there are still some signings left to announce, so once that happens we can make a full evaluation. It will take time. For this week we will use the players who have been playing regularly. You can’t change a team with five training sessions. We will slowly start adding things in the coming weeks.”
Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender said the team is trying to block out the distractions surrounding Messi’s arrival and focus on the St. Louis game.
“For us, it’s an away game and every away games in this league is pretty intense,” Callender said. “It’s a critical part of the season, so we’re all focused. I’ve heard they have a really good atmosphere there, so we’re gonna go there, implement our game and do our best us to get results.”
St. Louis is led by forward Nicholas Gioacchini, who has scored eight goals; and midfielder Eduard Lowen and forward Klauss, who have five apiece. Venezuelan forward Josef Martinez is Miami’s leading scorer with six goals and Ecuadorian forward Leo Campana has four.
MLS will take a one-month break after this weekend for the inaugural Leagues Cup, a tournament between MLS and Mexican league teams. Messi and Sergio Busquets are expected to make their debuts July 21 against Cruz Azul at DRV PNK Stadium. Tickets are still available for that game. Corner bleacher seats were on sale for $200. For more information, go the team website or TicketMaster.