Lionel Messi
started the 2024 season with a pure goal (five in the same number of games played) and
Inter Miami
is finding the results it seeks, but at the same time the Argentine star suffers with his physique.
He missed last Sunday's game against Montreal Impact, after the brutal kick he received from Lukas MacNaughton in the first leg of the game against Nashville SC for the Concachampions, and now
muscle fatigue would leave him out of the game that this Saturday Las Garzas will play as visitor against DC United for Major League Soccer (MLS).
"Leo had a problem in his right back and I wasn't going to take any kind of risk," Tata Martino said after replacing him in the 49th minute against Nashville last Wednesday.
"He is practically ruled out from the DC game. Waiting for the test results to see exactly what he has,"
added
Javier Morales,
one of his field assistants, in the last few hours.
In this way, the best soccer player in the world will arrive in cotton for the friendlies with the Argentine National Team, which will debut the new jersey against El Salvador, in Philadelphia, and Costa Rica, in Los Angeles, on March 22 and 26 respectively.
Lionel Messi is ruled out for the match against DC United.
They still don't know exactly what he has, they continue the evaluations thinking about the FIFA Date.
The AFA has not communicated with Inter Miami.#InterMiamiCF #Messi pic.twitter.com/Oq0D8nUBLB
— José Armando (@Jarm21) March 15, 2024
Meanwhile, the MLS will continue to be played and Messi will not be able to be present in the clash against
New York Red Bull
on Saturday, March 23.
He could return to play with his club only next week, when he hosts
New York City FC
at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.
Anyway, his next big goal will come during the first days of April.
On Tuesday the 2nd, he is expected to start the first leg of the Concachampions quarterfinals against
Rayados de Monterrey,
one of the biggest winners of that competition.
The Mexican team, which was champion in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2019 and 2021, has a legion of Argentines like Las Garzas.
On the team are goalkeeper
Esteban Andrada
, midfielders
Jorge "Corcho" Rodríguez
and
Maximiliano Meza
and forward
Germán Berterame
.
And there's more: the coach is
Fernando Ortiz
.
Monterrey, an important Concacaf team, will be a tough nut to crack for Messi's team.
Their five continental titles are only surpassed by
América
(7) and
Cruz Azul
(6).
Inter Miami, meanwhile, is seeking its first coronation and being the fourth American team to achieve it after
Seattle Sounders
(2022),
Los Angeles Galaxy
(2000) and
DC United
(1998).