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In fact, Inter Miami will arrive at the Buzzard Point headquarters on Saturday afternoon, but Messi probably won’t, worried about a right hamstring strain he suffered on Wednesday during a match at an international tournament.
Assistant coach Javier Morales told reporters in South Florida on Friday that the 36-year-old forward is “virtually ruled out” for the game in Washington and the team is awaiting test results for additional information.
Messi’s absence would disappoint home fans who were unable to see him play last season; Miami’s only visit to the District came just before he joined the team.
When the 2024 schedule was released, United initially offered tickets to the Miami game through the season ticket package and premium options only. Once the seats for that game were sold out, the sale price on the secondary market reached four figures.
There were still many available this week, but when Messi’s injury was revealed, prices dropped substantially.
This wouldn’t be the first time home fans have been disappointed. In 2015, he sat out Argentina’s friendly against El Salvador at the NFL stadium in Landover due to a calf injury.
Messi is scheduled to return to the area on June 14 when the World Cup champions Argentina take on Guatemala in Landover.
The fans would not be the only ones discouraged by Messi’s absence this weekend. The United players were also looking forward to playing against arguably the greatest player in the history of football.
“You want to test yourself against the best,” midfielder Matti Peltola said.
“Everyone wants to play against Messi,” said left back Pedro Santos, “even if he can be a threat (against) us.”
But there’s also the practical matter of winning games, and amid a brilliant start to the season under new coach Troy Lesesne, United (1-0-2) understands that Miami’s loss would be its gain.
“It’s definitely a positive for us,” said United center back Christopher McVey, Messi’s teammate in Miami last season.
“We have a better chance of getting the three points,” Santos said.
Messi injured his right hamstring during the 3-1 victory over Nashville SC in the Concacaf Champions Cup in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He scored a goal and had an assist in the first half before leaving five minutes after the intermission.
Messi played all 90 minutes in Miami’s first three MLS games (contributing three goals and one assist) and started against Nashville last week in the first leg of their series. But he missed last Sunday’s regular-season game against Montreal (a 3-2 home loss) with what team officials described as a shin injury.
Messi is scheduled to join Argentina next week for friendlies against El Salvador and Costa Rica.
“There are probably at least a few members of our group who say, ‘OK, now we don’t have to worry about someone at that level,’” United coach Troy Lesesne said. “And then there’s another part of the group that probably wanted me to play, to try to test themselves and our club against the best of all time.”
United prepared this week for a Miami lineup that included Messi: “tendencies of how they like to give him the ball, how he appears in strange places and is indifferent in defense,” goalkeeper Alex Bono said.
On Thursday the team was also preparing for Leonardo Campana to take Messi’s place.
But Lesesne and the players said their main focus was on themselves and how to continue honing their game after beating New England in the home opener last month, then tying Portland and Cincinnati, a positive step after missing the playoffs four years in a row.
Lesesne’s compelling, proactive style has begun to take shape and earn praise.
“It’s that kind of style of play that we want to implement in every game, but particularly in a situation where the opponent (like Miami) has played so many games in a short period of time and is coming off a short break,” Lesesne said. .
Even without Messi, Miami (2-1-1) is capable of causing problems. The lineup includes three of Messi’s former teammates at FC Barcelona: Luis Suárez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba. It also features Paraguayan midfielder Diego Gómez, US national team goalkeeper Drake Callender and former DC winger Julian Gressel.
“Just because (Messi) isn’t there,” Bono said, “doesn’t mean this match is going to be a piece of cake.”
Grades: United forward Christian Benteke, who missed two games with a groin injury, practiced all week and, barring late setbacks, will be in uniform. His frontline teammate, Ted Ku-DiPietro, will likely remain sidelined with a thigh injury. …
Peltola (Finland), right back Aaron Herrera (Guatemala), center back Matai Akinmboni and forward Kristian Fletcher (both US U-19 team) will miss the game in St. Louis City next Saturday while traveling with their respective national teams. The MLS does not pause the calendar of all those international windows.