Is Lionel Messi playing tonight? Inter Miami host New York RB on Matchday 11 of the 2025 MLS season

It’s been a difficult week for Lionel Messi. This past Wednesday, Inter Miami suffered a tough loss to Vancouver Whitecaps that led to their elimination from the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals. With that setback, the club’s focus now shifts fully to Major League Soccer, where they’ll take on New York Red Bulls this Saturday.

Knowing that the MLS is now the primary short-term goal for Inter Miami, head coach Javier Mascherano will keep his key stars in the starting lineup, despite the heavy effort they put in during the 3-1 loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps.

The Argentine forward played nearly 100 minutes in Wednesday’s match, and only three days have passed since then. Despite being close to turning 38 and needing to take extra care to avoid the muscle injuries that have troubled him recently, Lionel Messi will start, along with Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba, and Sergio Busquets.

A crucial MLS matchup

Inter Miami opened the 2025 MLS season strongly with five wins and three draws. However, last week’s loss to Dallas FC caused them to slip in the standings. Now with 18 points, they sit in fifth place, four points behind league leaders FC Cincinnati.

Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano talks to Lionel Messi during a game in 2025.

New York RB have had a more inconsistent campaign, but their 3-1 win over CF Montreal in their last outing brought them closer to the playoff spots. With 15 points, a win on Saturday in Florida would allow them to draw level with the Herons in the standings.

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Inter Miami’s lineup

Javier Mascherano will field 8 of the 11 players who started in the previous match against the Vancouver Whitecaps. The only changes will be the departures of Maximiliano Falcon, Federico Redondo, and Telasco Segovia, with Gonzalo Lujan, Yannick Bright, and Fafa Picault entering the starting XI.

The confirmed starting lineup for Inter Miami is: Oscar Ustari; Marcelo Weigandt, Gonzalo Lujan, Noah Allen, Jordi Alba; Yannick Bright, Sergio Busquets; Tadeo Allende, Lionel Messi, Fafa Picault; Luis Suarez.

New York Red Bulls’ potential lineup

Riding the momentum of their victory over CF Montreal, head coach Sandro Schwarz will field almost the same starting lineup. The only change is the inclusion of Mohammed Sofo in place of Cameron Harper.

The confirmed starting XI for New York Red Bulls is: Carlos Coronel; Kyle Duncan, Sean Nealis, Noah Elie, Omar Valencia; Felipe Carballo, Peter Stroud; Mohammed Sofo, Emile Forsberg, Wikelman Carmona; Eric Choupo-Moting.