Messi out, Suarez and Alba on bench for Inter Miami road game at D.C. United Saturday
Lionel Messi was not the only star missing from the Inter Miami starting lineup Saturday afternoon for the road game against D.C. United at Audi Field.
Luis Suarez and Jordi Alba were on the bench, as was defender Sergiy Kryvtsov. Suarez has four goals and five assists over six games.
Messi, the team’s leading scorer with five goals, missed the game due to a mild hamstring injury and his availability going forward will be determined on a day by day basis.
Instead of Messi and Suarez leading the attack, it was Robert Taylor, Leo Campana and Julian Gressel up front with Diego Gomez, Sergio Busquets and Fede Rodondo in midfield. The back line was Noah Allen at left back, in place of Alba, Nico Freire, Tomas Aviles and David Ruiz. Drake Callender started in goal.
In addition to Alba and Suarez, bench players included CJ Dos Santos, Ryan Sailor, Lawson Sunderland, and Shanyder Borgelin.
Although Messi was not on the game roster, his pink No. 10 jersey, and his No. 10 Argentina shirt were visible all over the stadium. Also, street vendors sold Messi shirts, scarves, and bucket hats. Fans bought tickets hoping to see the Argentine star play, but showed up in his gear anyway even though they knew he was injured.
“Of course, I wanted to see Messi, but this is still Messi’s team and I am looking forward to seeing Busquets, Alba, Suarez and the new player, Federico Redondo,” said Melvin Dulcias, who drove two and a half hours from Laurel, Delaware, for the game. “I started following Inter Miami when Messi arrived, and now I am a big fan, so it is exciting to be here and see them in person.”
Wilmer Martinez of Washington, D.C., also showed up in a Messi shirt, as did his 10-year-old son Dylan. They found out on the way to the stadium that Messi was injured. “We were sad, but this is Messi’s team and maybe we will have a chance to see him from a distance. At least we will see his team and his teammates, so we are happy to be here.”