Ross Devonport4 Minute Reading
Why Messi had to miss MLS debut against NY Red Bulls
Futbol Americas’ Mauricio Pedroza discusses Lionel Messi’s chances of playing in Inter Miami’s first MLS game against the NY Red Bulls.
Inter Miami is currently in New York preparing for Saturday’s contest against the New York Red Bulls, a game that will be the team’s seventh in 23 days.
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“We will check more after training tonight,” Martino said. “It’s inevitable that we won’t have him at some point.”
The 36-year-old Messi has played every minute of Miami’s last six games and looked tired at times in Wednesday’s US Open Cup semifinal win over FC Cincinnati, reaching a maximum of 120 minutes. Messi claimed two assists and converted the opening kick in the penalty shootout victory.
The team flew straight to New York from Ohio, and had a recovery session at the hotel after arriving on Thursday. They will have a light practice on Friday at the Red Bull Arena.
“It will happen at least three times this year, and next year as well,” Martino said of a potential Messi rest, either for a whole game or part of one. “We have to find a solution.”
This solution is not easy Its veteran manager has relied heavily on Messi since his arrival, the winner of the World Cup exceeded all expectations thanks to 10 goals and three assists in eight appearances.
And with Miami currently at the bottom of MLS’ Eastern Conference — 14 points from the last playoff spot — Martino surely knows he needs to use Messi as much as possible the rest of the way.
The former Mexico national team and Barcelona coach insisted on Friday that he would not be distracted by outside noise about the implications of benching his superstar.
Messi-mania has resulted in the cheapest tickets for Saturday’s game at the 25,000-capacity Red Bull Arena across the Hudson River in Harrison, New Jersey, now going for more than $400 on secondary resale sites. Additionally, hundreds of fans camped Friday afternoon outside the team’s hotel, hoping to catch a glimpse of their soccer hero.
“I understand the expectations of the rest of the world to watch him, and that’s undeniable,” Martino said. “But I can’t act on that basis, because I might risk doing things wrong.”
Doing things poorly in this case means Martino is pushing Messi too hard and risking injury to his star player, something that could derail any chance of a postseason run.
One thing that helped Martino’s cause at least was that his team was much deeper in midfield heading into this game than in previous weeks.
Veteran Jean Mota is back fit after the Brazilian missed almost four months of action following a knee injury, and new young South American talents Diego Gómez and Facundo Farías in particular who have been integrated into the squad thanks to a good spell of training sprinkled in between them all. these games.
However, things will not be easy after the weekend. A meeting with Nashville SC comes at home to Miami on Wednesday, a rematch of the finals of the Leagues Cup that Miami won on the road last Sunday by penalty kicks.
Four days later on Sept. 3, the team will go back on the road again with LAFC, who is currently sitting in second place in the Western Conference.