Martino: Messi needs rest, but it won’t be vs. Cincinnati in U.S. Open Cup semi Wednesday
Lionel Messi has played in his first seven games since joining Inter Miami and stayed on the field the entire 90 minutes in the past five. Although he sometimes looks like a superhero and recently introduced Marvel-themed goal celebrations, the Argentine star is 36 years old and mortal (at least as far as we know).
So, the question was bound to come up: When will he rest? Are there plans to keep him out of the lineup at any point?
Inter Miami coach Tata Martino agreed Messi, who has scored 10 goals in seven games, might need a breather during this jam-packed schedule but said it will not be Wednesday night against FC Cincinnati. He is expected to start the U.S. Open Cup semifinal at TQL Stadium (7 p.m., CBSSports Golazo Network, Telemundo).
That is good news for the fans who paid big bucks for tickets.
“That is a conversation we had a few days ago, that he should rest and recover every three or four days, but clearly Wednesday will not be that day,” Martino said Monday morning. “You all know how he is, he likes to play and participate. So, as long as he doesn’t mention anything, he will keep on playing.”
It seemed logical the team might ease Messi’s load, and that of some other starters, after winning the Leagues Cup in Nashville on Saturday in a drama-filled penalty kick shootout. By reaching the Leagues Cup final, Miami clinched a berth in the Champions Cup Round of 16, so the U.S. Open Cup, whose winner earns a spot in the Champions Cup, is less urgent.
But Martino and goalkeeper Drake Callender insisted the team remains hungry and motivated to win Wednesday and play for a second cup.
The winner of the Miami vs Cincinnati match will face either Real Salt Lake or the Houston Dynamo in the championship game Sept. 27. If Real Salt Lake wins its semifinal, it will host the final. If Houston wins and Miami wins, the final would be hosted by Miami, and team owner Jorge Mas said there is a chance that game would be moved from DRV PNK Stadium to Hard Rock Stadium to allow for a larger audience.
Asked how his team will muster the mental and physical energy to go full speed on Wednesday after such an emotional night Saturday, Martino said:
“The only part that would concern me is from a physical standpoint because at some point in the Wednesday game, we might notice a deterioration,” said Martino, who felt some players were battling fatigue in the second half against Nashville. “But Cincinnati is also coming off a game Sunday. I think we have nine or 10 national team players on our roster, and that is very unusual for an MLS team, so we have no excuses.”
Martino conceded that he did not expect his team to win the Leagues Cup title so soon after his arrival and the arrival of Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.
“Sometimes you imagine one scenario and the competition takes you in a completely different direction,” Martino said. “We were saying we need time to work with so many new players and in that scenario, it would have been better not to compete so much in this tournament. But we wound up winning. So, I am happy because when you are trying to construct as new team and you win a trophy like this, it boosts the confidence and everyone’s expectations.”
Callender, who had a huge game in the Leagues Cup final, making his penalty kick (the only one he had ever taken in his career) and saving one to win the game, believes Miami will be rested and ready for a tough Cincinnati opponent.
“We have to be very detailed in our recovery process, and we have a great staff and great coaches who understand the demands of this league,” Callender said. “It was a pretty big emotional event [Saturday] and hopefully, we’re able to channel that energy and bring that with us into Cincinnati. That’s going to help us out a lot. I think the team gained a lot of confidence, gained a lot of belief in what we’re capable of doing, and we can transfer that over to this game.”
Callender is especially motivated against Cincinnati because it was in a U.S. Open Cup game against that team that he made his first start last summer in place of injured Nick Marsman.
“I remember my debut all the nerves, all the uneasiness, it was my first game playing in that atmosphere and environment, so to kind of be in this full circle moment...to play in a semifinal game against them, is special.”
FC Cincinnati is coming off a 3-0 loss to the Columbus Crew on Saturday but sits in first place in the Eastern Conference standings with a 15-3-6 record and is enjoying its best MLS season since joining the league in 2019.
Cincinnati has won 11 of its 12 home games this season, scoring 29 goals and allowing just nine. And although they don’t have Messi on their roster, they are led by Luciano “Lucho” Acosta, who wears the same number (10) and is from the same hometown (Rosario, Argentina). His is the league’s second-leading scorer this season with 12 goals.
This story was originally published August 22, 2023 at 1:18 PM.