Inter Miami eye ‘dream’ Lionel Messi return date

As things stand, with just nine regular season games remaining, everything seems to be going to plan for Inter Miami. The Herons sit top of the Eastern Conference, five points clear of FC Cincinnati, and on track to clinch the Supporters’ Shield.

Tata Martino’s team are living up to their status as preseason favourites, but not in the way that many experts predicted.

Miami have been without Lionel Messi since June 1, when the Argentine scored in a 3-3 draw with St. Louis City before heading off to Copa América. He picked up an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury on international duty and has not featured since. Miami’s trip to Cincinnati this weekend will be the 12th consecutive Messi-less game.

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The Herons are desperate to ensure that Messi can play a starring role in this season’s MLS Cup playoffs and the club will be extremely cautious in bringing him back into the fold. Nevertheless, Argentinian publication Olé writes that some close to the club are ‘dreaming’ that Messi could feature against the Chicago Fire on Saturday, August 31.

Inter Miami schedule: when could Messi return?

Messi has been back in the gym, working on his rehabilitation, for weeks but is yet to take his first steps back on the field. With just eight days to go until the trip to Chicago, that would represent a swift return to first team action for the 37-year-old.

More likely is that he could be back in contention for the visit of Philadelphia Union in Miami’s following MLS game, two weeks later. Here’s how Inter Miami’s schedule looks for the remainder of the regular season...

Tata Martino’s Lionel Messi’s injury update

In anticipation that Messi may not be fit to feature, Chicago Fire have announced that those who purchased a ticket for the game will receive a partial refund if the Argentine is absent. There is an understandable frustration that Messi has missed a sizeable part of his first full season in MLS.

Nevertheless, Herons boss Tata Martino has insisted that he will not be tempted to rush his captain back into the team. The Argentine’s recovery will be managed carefully, Martino told reporters last week.

“Leo is progressing as expected, but there’s still no precise date for when he might rejoin the group. He continues to work separately.”

“When everyone is available, we are much more reliable and capable of truly competing. Our priority is to resolve the situation with Leo as quickly as possible while maintaining our competitiveness in his absence.”