Inter Miami star Lionel Messi will not travel to Orlando for the club’s rivalry game against Orlando City on Wednesday night, sources briefed on the situation tell The Athletic.
Messi was listed as questionable with a knee injury on the official injury report. He was subject to a hard challenge during Saturday night’s win after which Messi received treatment.
Messi has missed four MLS games this season, all in March. Miami, also dealing with fixture congestion due to the CONCACAF Champions Cup at the time, had one win, one draw and two losses in those four games.
“Se puso hielo después del partido y ayer entrenó con los jugadores que hicieron regenerativo, hoy será evaluado pensando en el partido vs Orlando”.
Javi Morales, asistente del Tata, sobre el golpe en la rodilla que recibió Messi.pic.twitter.com/dws1mmkYXd
— Messismo (@Messismo10) May 14, 2024
Messi is on an historic pace to start the 2024 season. He has 10 goals and 12 assists in nine appearances (764 minutes). He set MLS single-game records for assists (5) and goal contributions (6) in the club’s 6-2 win over the New York Red Bulls on May 4.
Messi was forced to sit out a couple of minutes while receiving treatment for that challenge on Saturday thanks to a new MLS rule, one that the cameras caught the legend criticizing.
In April, MLS implemented a series of new in-game rules. One of the rules is the Off-Field Treatment Rule and Timed Substitution Rule. The new guidelines say players must “remain off the field for a minimum of two minutes for further assessment and treatment.”
While Messi was off the field, Matias Rojas scored a long-range free kick that Messi no-doubt would have stood over if he was in the game. It worked out in the end.
Inter Miami sit atop the Supporters’ Shield standings early in the MLS season. Messi will miss games next month while at the Copa America with Argentina.
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(Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)