Lionel Messi has transformed Inter Miami in less than two months. After being one of the worst teams in the MLS, they’re suddenly back in the hunt for the playoffs and won the 2023 Leagues Cup.
Messi has scored 11 goals and is ready to fight for another trophy as Inter Miami will face Houston Dynamo in the U.S. Open Cup final. During this amazing run, veterans like Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba have been extraordinary.
However, all those plans suffered a setback when Messi left the field early during Wednesday’s match against Toronto FC. Now, the big question is if the star from Argentina is severely injured or not.
Will Lionel Messi play in the U.S. Open Cup final?
Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba were substituted before halftime during the MLS match between Inter Miami and Toronto FC. After the game, Gerardo Martino gave an injury update and confirmed both stars are out for the next match with Orlando City.
“I don’t think it’s something new or bigger than what they already had. It’s fatigue. I don’t think there’s a muscle injury. We’re gonna take it day-by-day. Obviously, there’s no chance they’ll play on Sunday (Orlando City) and what I’m talking about is all related to the final we’ll have next week (U.S. Open Cup).”
Though he is very cautious, Martino emphasized there doesn’t seem to be an apparent injury. All signs point to fatigue because of the recent workload. The coach also confirmed the early substitutions weren’t supposed to go that way.
“It wasn’t the plan. Yes, maybe they weren’t going to play the full match. They weren’t ready for the game against Atlanta. We had practices after that and they seemed to be well. We, and both of them, understood they were ready to play (Toronto).”
