MLS
Inter Miami team news: is Lionel Messi playing against New York City FC?
After making his return from an ankle injury against Philadelphia Union, Messi dropped down to the bench for Wednesday’s draw at Atlanta United.
New York City FC host Inter Miami at Yankee Stadium on Saturday (September 21), a game in which Lionel Messi and Co can take another step towards winning the Supporters’ Shield and breaking the MLS points record.
The Herons have been handed an additional boost by the return to fitness of captain and star man Messi, who appears to have fully recovered from the ankle injury that forced him off in the 2024 Copa América final, in which Argentina defeated Colombia.
Messi’s fitness has, of course, been a hot topic for quite some time. After two months on the sidelines, the former Barcelona star scored twice and assisted Luis Suárez on his return to action against Philadelphia Union on September 15. Messi played the full 90 minutes but dropped back out of the team for Wednesday’s 2-2 draw away to Atlanta United.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner did, though, come off the bench for the final half an hour, with the decision not to start him seemingly a way of carefully managing his return, especially with the clash at Mercedes-Benz Stadium not being played on natural grass.
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Speaking to the media before facing New York City FC, Inter Miami assistant coach Javier Morales explained: “First, the other day, Leo played for 30 minutes. He did well, he didn’t have any discomfort, nothing. He is fit to play, so it depends on what Tata decides, but physically he is in very good shape.”
“He’s done very well, especially in the 90 minutes he played at home [against Philadelphia Union]. The other day he came on for 30 and did well too. We’re not going to talk about the kind of player he is and how important he is for us, but after almost two months without playing and then playing again, he played for 90 minutes. We were playing on an artificial surface [in Atlanta], and he came back... The most important thing is his ankle, which is responding well. Physically, game by game, he’s getting up to speed,” Morales added.
The Herons assistant was also keen to stress the importance of Messi to Las Garzas: “We know that he’s a player who always wants to play and we will use him whenever we can, because the truth is that he not only improves us a lot, but we enjoy having him on our team and on the field”.