Inter Miami will have to play their second game within a week without Lionel Messi. He is set to miss out on the trip to Orlando after limping off against Toronto, minutes after Jordi Alba also got injured.
Messi is having his minutes managed after gruesome first weeks at the club, where he played 12 games in 48 days, on an average of a game every four days.
🚨 Tata Martino confirms that there is no update yet on the injury of Messi
"Messi suffers from a scar from an old injury he suffered from and Jordi suffered from muscle fatigue. We will evaluate their condition day by day." #Messi #InterMiamiCF pic.twitter.com/c0BKZWkbgs
— Inter Miami FC Hub (@Intermiamifchub) September 22, 2023
He returned from international duty but was allowed to sit out the game against Atlanta United, having also been left out of the matchday squad against Bolivia for Argentina.
Inter Miami coach Tata Martino confirmed Messi and fellow former FC Barcelona standout Jordi Alba will not play Sunday against Orlando City. Both are considered day to day as the club is in the midst of a six-match stretch spanning 18 days.
Leo Messi underwent tests this Thursday and everything seems fine. There is no injury. pic.twitter.com/7e3nNOJfgV
— Leo Messi 🔟 Fan Club (@WeAreMessi) September 22, 2023
“Basically, Leo is still dealing with his old scar tissue, and Jordi with muscle pain," Martino said at a news conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Friday. The scar tissue problem first arose while with the Argentina national team earlier this month.
"They trained normally and we felt like they were ready to play. I don’t believe it’s anything new or anything worse than what they had before. It’s fatigue. We don’t think it’s a muscular injury. That’s also from a conversation that I just had with Messi. But we have to continue being careful and we’ll look at him the next few days."
🗣Tata Martino (Inter Miami Coach) :
"Messi is not injured. It's an old scar…I don’t know if it hurts. I can’t really explain but it bothers him to the point, including mentally, that he isn’t able to play freely." pic.twitter.com/uIIctFIMKo
— PSG Chief (@psg_chief) September 22, 2023
Martino added that he felt less pessimistic about the injuries to Messi and Alba after talking with them after the game.
Messi has scored 11 goals and tallied five assists in 11 appearances with Inter Miami this season.
“It seems very prudent at this stage in his career that he does that more than ever. And I say this on behalf of all of us, because we want to see Leo on the pitch for a long time. It is good for me that he is aware that he notices when he has to stop this, like he did in the Ecuador game."
Leo Messi is NOT INJURED. He had fatigue that remained on the back of his right leg. Tata Martino announced that he will not play this weekend and will rest for the US Open Cup final.
[@gastonedul] pic.twitter.com/f5bxIG91aT
— MC (@CrewsMat10) September 21, 2023
Messi scored the lone goal in 1-0 World Cup qualifying win for Argentina over Ecuador just over two weeks ago, but uncharacteristically left that game before the final whistle and then wasn"t in the 18-man squad for the game at Bolivia a few days later.
He trained twice after missing the Atlanta defeat — the team"s first since his arrival — and Martino felt the 36-year-old was healthy enough to give it a go on Wednesday.
“In training he looked good, and he told me that," Martino said. “If there had even been the slightest doubt, he would not have played."
When pressed about the specifics of Messi"s scar tissue problem, Martino left that answer for the medical staff.
“I am not a doctor. It bothers him, not hurts him. I do not know why," Martino said.
Leo Messi, Jordi Alba are not at Inter Miami training this morning. Tata Martino confirmed they will not play Sunday at Orlando City. @MiamiHerald @HeraldSports #InterMiamiCF #Messi𓃵 #MLS pic.twitter.com/m0iJVUxOWf
— Michelle Kaufman (@kaufsports) September 22, 2023
“It is probable that these scars bother [him] and don"t allow him to even be mentally free to play a game. It is difficult. We have all experienced pain when we have hit our scars on the corner of a table and this is like that."
It could be a possibility Inter Miami plays without Messi and/or Alba for the U.S. Open Cup final.
“We have to go day by day to see the doctor"s report and what they are telling us. We will follow them," Martino said.
“I know we have a final, but there is no way they will enter the field if they are not in a position to do so."
