Is Lionel Messi playing today for Inter Miami vs New England Revolution on 2025 MLS Matchday 23?

Inter Miami face New England Revolution tonight for MLS Matchday 23 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Lionel Messi’s availability for the match remains officially unconfirmed, but all signs point to a likely appearance, with the Argentine travelling with the team. 

Speaking ahead of Tuesday’s practice, Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano said, “In Leo’s case, if he’s fine and doesn’t have any problems, my idea is always to let him play, because we know that if there’s anyone who knows how to manage himself on the pitch and understands his body, it’s him.”

As with the matches in Major League Soccer, Messi’s final status will be revealed when Inter Miami release their starting lineup, an hour ahead of kickoff. The Argentine is coming off of a standout performance, scoring two goals and providing one assist in the 4-1 win over CF Montreal on Saturday. 

As Miami has a sting of five matches in a 15-day span, rotation is a possibility. “Obviously we’re not just thinking about [this] game, but also about the string of games we have coming up,” Mascherano added. “We have three more games in practically ten days, so we’ll see how best to manage everyone’s minutes.” 

Lionel Messi celebrates scoring against CF Montreal (Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)

However, Mascherano didn’t want to commit to any plan. “We’ll see, we’ll take it as it comes,” Mascherano added. “I don’t want to say one thing and then do another. It’s more a day-to-day thing, depending on how we feel.”

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Other squad news 

Elsewhere in the squad, injuries could affect how Inter Miami approach the match. Midfielders Yannick Bright and David Ruiz, who missed the Club World Cup due to muscle injuries, are back in training but not confirmed to be fully match-fit. 

Meanwhile, defender Noah Allen is still out with a hamstring injury. These absences limit the team’s rotation options and could increase the reliance on Messi’s presence, especially in the attack.