Lionel Messi will travel with Inter Miami and will be available for Wednesday’s match against Atlanta United, head coach Tata Martino said on Tuesday per ESPN’s Lizzy Becherano.
The big question: will he even see the field after Saturday’s 3-1 win over the Philadelphia Union? That depends on how things progress during the team’s Tuesday training session, Martino said.
Messi looked as if he hadn’t missed a beat against the Union, scoring twice and assisting on a Luis Suarez goal as he played the full match. It was his first appearance since his injury in Argentina’s Copa America final vs. Colombia on July 14.
We now know Messi will at least travel to Atlanta. But with a match on Wednesday in Atlanta and another three days later at New York City FC (he’ll travel for that one as well), it’s up in the air if he’ll see the pitch for one, both, or neither. (By the way, the get-in price for Wednesday’s match was $40 as of early Tuesday morning and is likely to rise on the heels of Martino’s remarks.)
Suarez’s potential involvement bears an obvious mention as well: he’s tied with Chicho Arango and Denis Bouanga for second in the Golden Boot race, two goals behind Christian Benteke. Despite Suarez’s impressive season, Miami’s priority will be ensuring their older stars are in the best shape possible with a Supporters’ Shield in sight and the playoffs right around the corner.
Either way, Messi and Suarez will at least both be in the building. Whether either of them actually touches the pitch remains to be seen.
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Sad that’s the main reason to watch.