Lionel Messi did not travel for Inter Miami game at Houston Sunday. Here is why
Bad news for Lionel Messi fans in Houston: The Argentine captain did not travel with his Inter Miami teammates for Sunday’s game against the Houston Dynamo.
According to a club source, Messi is not injured, but did not make the trip because of a coach’s decision to rest him due to the congested team schedule. He is expected to play at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale on Thursday for Inter Miami’s Round of 16 Concacaf Champions Cup game against Jamaican team Cavalier SC.
Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano had said after the Concacaf Champions Cup game against Sporting KC that the late-game substitutions of Messi, Luis Suarez and Sergio Busquets were intentional and served to give those players some rest during what will be an extremely long season with a jam-packed schedule.
Asked again Friday morning about Messi’s health, Mascherano replied: “Leo is fine. He is OK. He will train normally like the rest of his teammates.”
Messi was seen training with the rest of the team Friday. The only players missing were Fafa Picault and Marcelo Weigandt, who are recovering from leg muscle injuries. Yannick Bright returned to training after healing from a cut above his knee. Drake Callender, who injured his adductor muscle during the preseason, was at practice, but his status for Sunday’s game remains unknown.
“Drake has been training normally for a full week, and it all depends on how he feels,” Mascherano said. “There isn’t much more to say. It’s the same situation. It’s been more than two weeks that he is training as usual, but he told us he did not feel 100 percent. We will keep talking to him.”
Oscar Ustari, the 38-year-old Argentine, has been the starting goalkeeper in Callender’s absence and has done a good job.
Mascherano was asked if Messi can keep playing at the current pace in a year that includes the Champions Cup, MLS season, Club World Cup and Leagues Cup. The two-leg Champions Cup Round of 16 is March 6 at home against Jamaican club Cavalier FC and in Jamaica on March 13.
“Look, every situation and season is different and you have to put everything in context,” Mascherano said. “We played in a knockout round [last week]. There was no way to rotate the roster. We started the season in Kansas, where the Champions League is an important competition for us.
“In between those two games we had the start of the MLS season. That is also one of the competitions we aim to win. So, when we talk about being able to rotate and rest the players, we must see the context. We had to play three games in [seven] days.
“We didn’t have the necessary rest, because we were changed on the first match date. It is what it is, we adapt to the circumstances.”
He added that he certainly understands the importance of taking care of the players, and when the coaches find time to rest them, they will.
This weekend, Inter Miami is eager to get its first victory of this MLS season after settling for a 2-2 tie against NYCFC in the league opener last weekend. Houston, meanwhile, is also looking for its first win following a 2-1 loss to Dallas FC in their opener.
French Moroccan forward Amine Bassi, who scored against Dallas, leads the Houston attack. Other players to watch include Argentine forward Ezequiel Ponce, who is from Messi’s hometown of Rosario and also wears No. 10, and newly signed 21-year-old midfielder Jack McGlynn of the U.S. national team, whom Houston acquired from the Philadelphia Union in early February with a $2.1 million transfer fee.
Former Mexican national team star Héctor Herrera left Houston in the off season.
“What we’ve seen from Houston is a team that has a very clear identity,” Mascherano said. “They play well together. We will have to be organized and intense in order to avoid them creating too many problems. We know it won’t be an easy opponent, despite the fact that they lost their first game.”
How to Watch Inter Miami vs. Houston Dynamo
The game is at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston and kicks off at 7 p.m. Sunday. It will be streamed on Apple TV MLS Season Pass.
Allen Obando update
Mascherano would not comment on the expected signing of 18-year-old Ecuadorean forward Allen Obando, who left Barcelona SC of the Ecuadorean league to go the Spanish club Atletico Madrid, which then reportedly will loan him to Inter Miami.
“When the club has something to communicate, we will do so,” Mascherano said.
This story was originally published February 28, 2025 at 4:19 PM.