MLS
Will Messi play against Colorado Rapids today, April 6?
The Argentine star is back in the Inter Miami squad list for the Herons’ MLS clash against the Rapids.
There is good news and bad news for Inter Miami fans desperate to see Argentine maestro Leo Messi back in action sporting the famous pink jersey.
The positive news is that Messi is back in the Inter Miami squad for the first time in almost a month after overcoming the hamstring issues that have hampered his availability in the 2024 season. However Lionel Messi starts on the bench for the MLS clash against Colorado Rapids with the action set to get underway at Chase Stadium on Saturday, April 6 (KO 7:30 p.m. ET./4:30 p.m. PT).
Will Messi get playing time against Colorado?
Speaking to the media ahead of the game, Inter Miami assistant manager Javi Morales said that Messi “has been improving day by day, it’s been seven days, so he is feeling better, he is training with the group so we are waiting for today’s training to see how he feels and then make a decision”.
“Today (Friday) we will see how he feels in training. If he (Messi) feels good, Tata will surely want to play him for 10 minutes, 15 or 45, but it is certain that we want to have him back,” Morales added.
Monterrey awaits
Miami will be looking to maintain their solid (without being spectacular) start to the MLS campaign as they currently sit in second place in the Eastern Conference on 11 points.
However, next Wednesday sees the Herons play one of the most important games in the club’s short history as they head to the Mexican city of Monterrey where they trail Liga MX Rayados giants (1-2) from the first leg in the regional CONCACAF Champions Cup.
Revelations have also emerged on how Messi and Martino rallied against the match officials post-game after Monterrey’s assistant coach Nico Sanchez was confronted by an angry Messi with the Argentine striker raising a first to the representative from the Liga MX side with this tension set to add to the expectation that already surrounds the second leg clash at the Estadio BBVA.
Last train to ‘Mundial de Clubes’
Winning the CONCACAF Champions Cup guarantees the victor a place in FIFA’s new 2025 Club World Cup (aka Mundial de Clubes) competition with the inaugural tournament set to see a total of 32 teams participate from the 6 continental confederations with the likes of Real Madrid, Man City, Al Ahly, Flamengo and Juventus having confirmed their places.
CONCACAF has four places available that are distributed among each of the last winners of the CONCACAF Champions Cup (Seattle Sounders, Leon and Rayados) meaning only the 2024 champion remains vacant and being involved in this new tournament that will see the weight of FIFA’s marketing machine ensure it is a success will be vital for Inter Miami’s ongoing global profile.