Inter Miami leads Major League Soccer with four of six possible points after two matches, but here is where the challenge lies with Lionel Messi’s availability during the month of March.
Messi’s workload will be considerably high with five Inter Miami matches and two matches with the Argentine national team in the next three weeks.
Saturday’s Inter Miami home game against Orlando City begins a five-game stretch in two weeks. The second and fourth games of the stretch will be against Nashville SC in the round of 16 of the Concacaf Champions Cup.
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Messi was also selected by Argentina to play in two recently announced matches – March 22 vs. El Salvador in Philadelphia and March 26 vs. Costa Rica in Los Angeles – which puts him in the mix for seven matches in 21 days.
It’s not a matter of if Messi will get some rest, more so when he will rest.
He is available to play for the Orlando City game, but Inter Miami coach Tata Martino said Friday he saw Messi expend too much energy during the club’s first two games of the MLS season.
“Of course, I’ve been discussing some things with him. What worries me the most is the day-to-day and how he is recovering game by game,” Martino said of Messi. “I feel that in these first two matches, we have relied on him excessively in each encounter, which has caused him significant fatigue in both games.”
The Inter Miami vs. Orlando City match will broadcast nationally on FOX and be available to live stream free via MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. Kickoff is 4:30 p.m. ET at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Martino would prefer Messi finish scoring opportunities, while his teammates can move the ball more effectively for him.
Messi scored the game-tying goal against L.A. Galaxy, resulting in a 1-1 draw last Sunday. He also orchestrated Inter Miami’s goals in their 2-0 season opener against Real Salt Lake on Feb. 21.
Martino said he hopes Inter Miami can rekindle the played it executed last years against its in-state rival. Messi scored in the 7th and 72nd minutes of Inter Miami’s 3-1 win against Orlando City during the Leagues Cup tournament on Aug. 2, 2023.
“In the Leagues Cup, it was a game where he often found the ball in the last quarter of the field and when it came time to finish the play, he scored inside the goal area," Martino said of Messi. "That’s what we need to recover, for the team to create plays and sometimes find him for the finishing touches.
“I feel that in these two matches, he has had a lot of wear and tear, and that is also my responsibility to give functionality to the team so that we can us him in various ways.”
Inter Miami and Nashville will clash again, in the round of 16 of the Champions Cup tournament. Nashville hosts the first leg March 7, while Inter Miami hosts the second leg March 13.
The teams previously met during the Leagues Cup final, which Inter Miami won on the road after outlasting Nashville 10-9 in penalty kicks. Messi scored in the 23rd minute of the match Aug. 19, 2023. They also played to a scoreless draw on Aug. 30, 2023.
With two more matches on deck, Nashville would be Inter Miami’s most frequent opponent since Messi’s arrival in MLS.
Argentina is playing four warmup games for this summer’s Copa América 2024, meaning four more chances for people to see Inter Miami star Lionel Messi in action.
∎Argentina vs. El Salvador at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, March 22.
∎Argentina vs. Costa Rica at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, March 26.
∎Argentina vs. Ecuador at Soldier Field in Chicago, June 9.
∎Argentina vs. Guatemala at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland, June 14.
Here are Inter Miami’s games in March. All games available to stream on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.)
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