Messi, Suarez, Busquets to return for Inter Miami vs. Atlanta game Wednesday
Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and Sergio Busquets will be back on the active roster for the Inter Miami home game Wednesday against Atlanta after sitting out the 2-1 road win at Vancouver over the weekend, coach Tata Martino said Tuesday.
Martino was less committal about their availability for the home game Saturday against last-place St. Louis City, the final MLS game before Messi and potentially others leave for Copa America, during which they would miss five to seven league games.
“We will see them (Wednesday), yes, and then we’ll see how things turn out,” Martino said. “The idea is for them to be present for both games, but first we have to play (Wednesday) before we think about our health and the rest.”
Messi, Argentina Copa America schedule
Argentina’s national team, whose federation has a permanent office in Miami, will report to camp in South Florida sometime next week, and train at the Inter Miami grounds before heading to Chicago for a June 9 Copa America warmup match against Ecuador. Messi and his teammates will likely then return to South Florida for more training before a June 14 tune-up match against Guatemala in Andover, Maryland.
Argentina begins defense of its Copa America title on June 20 with the tournament opener against Canada in Atlanta.
The Argentine team is expected to return to South Florida to prepare for the June 25 group-stage game against Chile in East Rutherford, N.J., and then back to the Miami area for the June 29 game against Peru at Hard Rock Stadium.
“We are clear that Leo plays the game on Saturday, and then he reports to the national team,” Martino said. “The good thing about all this is that the Argentine national team decided to base itself here in the USA, especially in Miami, the matches are on the East coast, and he doesn’t have to travel so much, so that’s good for him, too.”
Messi, Suarez watch sons play
Messi feels more and more at home in South Florida, and it showed as he spent last weekend watching his son Thiago, and Suarez’s son Benjamin, playing for the Inter Miami Academy U12 team in the inaugural Inter Miami CF Youth International Cup.
“One of the best things about him being in the United States, in Miami, is that it allows him to transform, at least on a few occasions, into a normal person,” Martino said. “It also shows his commitment to the club. Independent of his sons, him being able to attend and enjoy this youth tournament, these are things that make him very happy and put him a few steps closer to a regular human being.”
Messi is also having fun on the field. He has 10 goals and 12 assists in 10 games. His former Barcelona teammate and close friend Suarez has 11 goals and five assists through 14 games. Combined, they have scored more goals than the entire roster of 14 MLS teams.
They will be going up against an Atlanta team that is in 11th place in the East and without starting goalkeeper Brad Guzan, who is serving a red card suspension.
The matchup will have extra meaning for Martino, who led Atlanta United to the 2018 MLS Cup title in the club’s second year since joining the league as an expansion team.
“We already faced them last season, so it’s not the first time, but it is my ex-club, of which I treasure wonderful memories, but of the players I coached there was only one left, and they ejected him the other day,” Martino said. “Their team has had ups and downs this year, but they had a good season last year and we always enter games with the mentality that opposing teams will work extra hard to beat us.”
The goal for Inter Miami heading into the season was to earn as many points as possible by June 1 in the MLS standings to build a cushion for the June-July window when the team will be without Messi, and possibly without Suarez (Uruguay), Matias Rojas (Paraguay), and Leo Campana (Ecuador).
They have met their goal, and then some, with a league-best 34 points through 16 games, which is the same number of points Miami finished with through the entire 34-game season last year.
“We wanted to put ourselves in a good position because of what we face with Copa America coming up,” Martino said. “This part of the season has just two games left, and to continue getting points is our objective for these two games.”
He said the win against Vancouver without Messi, Suarez and Busquets was good preparation for the players who will have more responsibility during June-July.
“The players who are staying with us during Copa America understand there is a period of this season when the responsibility falls entirely on them,” Martino said. “Having those players in a good place mentally and energized is a good message for the team.”
Inter Miami vs Atlanta United injury report
For Atlanta, Tyler Wolff is out with an MCL sprain and Giorgos Giakoumakis is doubtful with a hamstring issue.
For Miami, center back Ian Fray continues to work his way back to the first team after missing all season following knee surgery. He played 30 minutes for the second team last week, is expected to play 70 minutes for the second team on Friday, and if he can do 90 minutes next week, he will rejoin the first team, Martino said.
How to Watch
Inter Miami vs. Atlanta United kicks off Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at Chase Stadium. The game will be televised on Apple TV through MLS Season Pass.
This story was originally published May 28, 2024 at 1:19 PM.