Here is latest Messi injury update heading into Inter Miami home game vs. D.C. United
Lionel Messi, who missed the Inter Miami game Wednesday at Orlando City after taking a knock to the knee, is expected to be available for the home match Saturday night against D.C. United.
He trained with the team Friday morning and all signs point to him playing at least some of the game at Chase Stadium.
“He trained well Thursday, we expect he will again [Friday], we will decide his availability after training; but we are optimistic regarding the game Saturday,” coach Tata Martino said.
Messi had played the full 90-minutes plus in six consecutive games before Wednesday. His vision, creativity and decisive pinpoint passes in tight spaces were missed, as Miami was held scoreless for just the second time this season.
With Messi in the lineup, the team had scored 19 goals over the previous five games, all victories. With Messi, Inter Miami averages more than two goals per game. Without him, fewer than one goal per game.
Martino added that Messi’s absence from the Orlando game was strictly because of discomfort from the injury, and not because the Argentine captain, who turns 37 in June, needed a rest.
“There was no intention for Leo to sit out a game; he felt fine as far as fitness, but he couldn’t maneuver his leg well with the injury, and still has a slight discomfort in that area,” Martino said.
Messi has potentially four Inter Miami games remaining before he joins Argentina for this summer’s Copa America. The FIFA window opens June 3, national teams will begin reporting to camp, and the tournament opening game is Argentina vs. Canada June 20 in Atlanta.
Argentina is the defending World Cup and Copa America champion, and playing in the Copa is a priority for Messi, as it could be his last.
Miami sits atop the MLS Supporters Shield race with 28 points on eight wins, two losses and four ties; and aims to keep padding that cushion during the next few weeks before losing Messi, and likely a few other players during Copa America.
Martino feels that MLS should take a break during FIFA windows, as the rest of the leagues around the world do, rather than playing through without full rosters.
“I think the league should break, like everyone else does, because otherwise teams will look to sign players of a bit lesser quality so they won’t be missing during FIFA dates,” Martino said.
Alas, at least for now, MLS will not take a break, which means if Argentina were to make a run to the July 14 Copa America final at Hard Rock Stadium, Messi could miss six or seven MLS games.
Inter Miami coaches and players would love to stretch their unbeaten streak to seven games with a win Saturday against D.C. United, which is in eighth place in the Eastern Conference.
Christian Benteke, D.C.’s imposing 6-3 Belgian striker, stands in the way.
Benteke, who is tied with Miami’s Luis Suarez in the Golden Boot race with 11 goals in 11 games, is one of the most dangerous forwards in the league. He is particularly lethal in the air. He scored a hat trick of headers against Atlanta United last weekend, beating center backs time and again to receive his teammates’ service in and around the six-yard box.
That will pose a challenge for an Inter Miami team whose defense has been inconsistent all season. Miami put in its strongest defensive performance against Orlando on Wednesday, coming up with its first shutout since the opening week of the season, but other times the back line has been vulnerable.
“Obviously, Benteke is very strong in the area (around the goal), so the second task is to mark him in the area and the first is to take away assists to him, which often come from the flanks, sometimes from the front, because of his aerial game,” Martino said. “Clearly, when there is someone so decisive in the area, the best option is to keep him farther away from the goal.”
“There is a team behind Benteke, too,” Martino warned. “It’s true that after the game we played against them in D.C. (a 3-1 Miami win), they have been up and down as far as results and performances, and they have adjusted their tactics.”
Asked if he felt relieved or disappointed to settle for a scoreless tie against Orlando on Wednesday, Martino said: “One thing is to analyze a 90-minute game, and another is to analyze our past eight games, during which we won five and tied three. We are 15 points ahead in the standings from where we were at this point last year, and we have talked a lot about building a lead before we lose players to national teams; so, in that context, we are satisfied.
“It was a result that didn’t fill us with joy, but didn’t fill us with worries, either. We’re not worried about our lack of scoring in that game when we are the league’s highest-scoring team.”
Miami has scored 35 goals through 14 games. The next-highest are the Los Angeles Galaxy and Portland Timbers with 25. If Messi plays Saturday, as expected, the goals should follow.
How to Watch Inter Miami vs. D.C. United
The Inter Miami vs. D.C. United game is at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. Tickets are on sale at TicketMaster and other secondary ticket sites. It will be broadcast on MLS Season Pass through Apple TV. The local radio broadcast can be found on WQAM-560.
This story was originally published May 17, 2024 at 10:09 AM.