Inter Miami will face LAFC tonight in the second leg of their Concacaf Champions Cup quarter-final tie, with everything to play for after a 1-0 defeat in the opening leg. The Herons enter the match under pressure, and all eyes are on Lionel Messi, who is confirmed to be in the starting lineup.
The Argentine star played the full 90 minutes in both the first leg in Los Angeles and Miami’s recent 1-1 MLS draw with Toronto, where he scored the equalizer. While questions around his fitness have lingered for much of the year, as he missed Argentina’s March friendlies with a minor muscle injury, Messi remains a central figure for the team.
Despite his time on the sidelines, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner leads the team in goals this season (6 goals) and recently became the club’s all-time leader in goal contributions.
Mascherano speaks about Messi’s motivation
Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano, speaking Tuesday ahead of the second leg, addressed Messi’s importance and motivation heading into the crucial fixture.
“Obviously, for great players like him, these kinds of matches are an extra motivation,” said Mascherano, who played alongside Messi for Argentina. “I can imagine that he will try, as always, from his leadership position on the court, to contribute everything he has, not only to help us win, but also to support his teammates in doing so.”
Miami’s lineup vs LAFC
The team confirmed that the starting lineup for the second leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup match against LAFC consists of: Oscar Ustari; Marcelo Weigandt, Maximiliano Falcon, Noah Allen, Jordi Alba; Yannick Bright, Federico Redondo, Tadeo Allende; Telasco Segovia, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.
First-leg recap
The first leg was decided by a 57th-minute goal from LAFC forward Nathan Ordaz, handing Miami their first defeat of the 2025 season. The Herons struggled to break down LAFC’s defense and failed to register a valuable away goal, raising the stakes for tonight’s return leg at Chase Stadium.