Lionel Messi is ready to face his second season with Inter Miami and the first full calendar year for him in the MLS. Though they won the 2023 Leagues Cup and got a ticket to the Concacaf Champions Cup, the star from Argentina wants to make a deep run in the playoffs and win the title.
Messi will have more help to hoist the trophy as Luis Suarez has officially joined a roster of stars such as Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba. A massive reunion of former players at FC Barcelona.
Now, Major League Soccer has already announced the schedule for 2024. In this way, all teams and their fans know in advance how the season will unfold. Inter Miami and Lionel Messi are among the beneficiaries of this, and now the Florida-based club know when they won’t be able to count on their captain.
It’s important to remember the MLS Comissioner, Don Garber, stated that the league cannot afford to stop during the 2024 Copa America. That will have massive implications for Inter Miami and Messi.
Full list of matches that Lionel Messi will miss with Inter Miami in 2024
Considering the situation with the 2024 Copa America, which will be played from June 20 to July 14, Lionel Messi will be out for Inter Miami during this period and also some weeks before the tournament for preparation. He will also be absent in the FIFA international break scheduled on March.
During the 2024 Copa America, Inter Miami have three scheduled matches against Nashville SC (June 29), Charlotte FC (July 3) and FC Cincinnati (July 6). However, Messi could also miss three additional games.
Those would be against Philadelphia Union (June 15) and Columbus Crew (June 19), which are scheduled for the week before the start of the tournament, and against Toronto FC (July 17), which is set to be played a couple of days after the Copa America final. Of course, it all depends on Argentina’s performance.
The other two matches that Messi would miss are against DC United (March 16) and New York Red Bulls (March 23), which will take place during the first FIFA international break of the year.
However, there are good news for Inter Miami in the final stretch of 2024 because MLS has suspended all scheduled matches during the FIFA international breaks of September, October and November. Messi will be available.