September 15, 2023, 12:06 p.m. ET
Lionel Messi is healthy and will be available for Saturday’s away game against Atlanta United FC, Inter Miami CF coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino said on Friday.
Messi unusually skipped Argentina’s World Cup qualifying victory over Ecuador last week before the final whistle, and although he traveled to Bolívia on Wednesday, he was not named in coach Lionel Scaloni’s 23-man squad for the 3-0 win in high-altitude La Paz .
– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (USA)
“He’s fine. But we will wait until after today’s training to make a decision,” Martino said about how important Messi will be against Atlanta. “We will be careful with him because we have a lot of important games in a short period of time.”
Miami’s schedule was full before the international break, and it’s in for a quick turnaround ahead of Wednesday’s home game against Toronto FC. Messi also has to play more World Cup qualifiers in October, including the CONMEBOL qualifiers against Paraguay (October 12) and Peru (October 17).
Miami’s games at this time would both be against Charlotte FC: at home on Wednesday, October 18, and at North Carolina on Saturday, October 21, to conclude the regular season.
“This is something we knew would happen at some point, but that he would get used to our needs, especially in seasons like this with a lot of games,” Martino said of the prospect of giving Messi more rest as a result treat his schedule.
“Playing every game, 90 minutes per game, two to three days with travel in between would be difficult.”
Messi trained with the team on Thursday and Friday and although Atlanta plays on grass, the 36-year-old said in his only press conference last month that he played on grass as a youth and would have no problem doing so again.
“The truth is that I spent my youth on artificial turf, I have spent my whole life on this pitch,” he said back in August. “It’s been a while since I last played on artificial turf, but I’m having no trouble getting used to it again.”
Turf has been a hot topic this week after many blamed the surface for future Hall of Fame NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ ruptured Achilles tendon, which he suffered in his first game with the New York Jets.
Atlanta is one of two MLS teams remaining on Inter Miami’s remaining away schedule that plays on grass. Charlotte is the other, and Miami won’t play there until the final game of the regular season, at which point Miami may have already secured a playoff spot.
If they make the playoffs, Miami could well face a trip to another Eastern Conference club that has turf – the New England Revolution. Despite their recent management issues, the Revs currently sit in second place in the standings.
A win on Saturday could move Miami – with some help elsewhere – from 14th to 11th in the Eastern Conference, just three points out of the playoffs.
Miami has already beaten Atlanta twice this season: 2-1 in May before Messi’s arrival and then 4-0 in the League Cup in July, in which Messi made his first start and in which he contributed two goals and an assist .
Saturday marks the first time back on the 404 for Martino, who coached the team for three seasons and led them to the MLS Cup title in 2018. After this victory, he left the team to take the position of head coach with the Mexican national team.
Up to 70,000 fans could flock to the Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday to catch a glimpse of Messi. The cheapest nosebleed tickets are $130 on secondary ticket sites, although there is a chance Messi won’t be in the starting lineup.
Atlanta sits in sixth place in the Eastern Conference but has won just two of its last eight games in all competitions and has allowed 43 goals this season, the second-most in the league behind Portland.
The team is led by Thiago Almada, the 22-year-old Argentine midfielder who has been compared to Messi due to his height (1.70 meters) and technical abilities. He leads the league with 11 assists and he and Messi swapped shirts after their League Cup meeting in July.
Atlanta struggled before the summer transfer deadline but were able to pick up the pace with Xande Silva and Saba Lobjanidze on the wings, who have improved greatly since their arrival, combining for a goal and three assists in four games.
Also on Friday, Miami signed Leonardo Campana to a contract extension through 2027 with an option for 2028.
Not all messages on the site express the site’s point of view, but we automatically transmit and translate these messages using programmatic technology on the site, rather than by a human editor
2023-09-16 03:55:11
#Messi #healthy #ready #play #Atlanta #Miamis #Martino
