Inter Miami secured an important victory against LA Galaxy with Lionel Messi playing a key role. He scored a goal and provided an assist in 45 minutes to seal the victory. However, reports stated that the Argentine was absent from today’s practice, raising doubts about his availability for tomorrow’s game against Tigres in the Leagues Cup QF. In response, head coach Javier Mascherano provided an update on his physical condition.
In the most recent press conference, head coach Javier Mascherano confirmed that Lionel Messi trained separately and updated his availability for tomorrow’s game against Tigres in the 2025 Leagues Cup. “We’ll see how he feels throughout the day tomorrow, but he’s not ruled out. It has a lot to do with how he feels.”
Although Messi played in Inter Miami‘s last game, he struggled throughout the game. This led to speculation, later confirmed by Javier Mascherano, that the Argentine had not fully recovered from his injury. Consequently, while Lionel has not been officially ruled out, it’s expected that his role against Tigres in the Leagues Cup quarterfinals may be limited to a few minutes.
Lionel Messi has not been able to play regularly in the 2025 Leagues Cup with Inter Miami. He has only played one full game, where he contributed two important assists, and left the next game 11 minutes into the first half. As a result, the Argentine has not yet scored in the competition. If he manages to get some playing time against Tigres, he could look to break his drought in the tournament.
Lionel Messi #10 of Inter Miami CF during warm ups before the start of the Major League Soccer match against New York Red Bulls and at Sports Illustrated Stadium on July 19, 2025 in Harrison, New Jersey.
Could Lionel Messi soon welcome new teammates at Inter Miami? Javier Mascherano breaks silence
Inter Miami, while enjoying a respectable string of victories, have recently shown signs of a pressing need to bolster their roster further. During a recent press conference, Javier Mascherano addressed the ongoing speculation about whether the team plans to keep reinforcing its lineup for the remainder of the season.
see also
Messi’s Inter Miami teammate complains about playing time, draws harsh response from Mascherano
“We’ll see. The team is working on bringing in one or two reinforcements. Let’s hope it works out that way. What I can tell you is that we hope no one leaves. The players who are with us today will stay with us until the end of the season.” Mascherano said.
With this, the possible arrival of Gonzalo Piovi from Cruz Azul of Liga MX, along with another reinforcement yet to be revealed, is gaining momentum. Meanwhile, the departure of David Ruiz has been ruled out. According to Jose Armando Rodriguez, he had attracted the attention of several MLS franchises, but he remains with the team. What is certain is that Lionel Messi could soon see an improved roster better equipped to compete for the MLS Cup.
