Fans of Inter Miami and the entire Major League Soccer (MLS) followers are still waiting for the return of World Cup winner Lionel Messi. But the return date of the Argentine playmaker remains in doubt.
The former Barcelona star was absent when Inter Miami CF lost 1-2 to Houston Dynamo FC in the 2023 US Open Cup final due to an injury. In a post-match press conference, Miami coach Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino confirmed the worst fears of Miami fans – there is no clear timetable for the return of Lionel Messi.
Tata Martino said there was no need to risk Messi in the US Open Cup final.
“It wasn’t prudent for him to play, that much is clear. Not even to consider him for some minutes, because it was a risk.”
The coach, however, assured the Miami fans that Messi will kick a ball again before the end of the MLS season.
“Yes, he’ll likely play before the league ends. We’ll go game-by-game, defining the situation to see in what moment the medical staff tells us he’s in conditions to play without risking it”, Tata Martino added.
The Miami coach bemoaned the fact that his charges have been playing too many games. He blamed the Open Cup final defeat on player fatigue.
“What I saw was a worn-out team. The reality is that we were eventually going to suffer the consequences of playing so many games. We’ve started feeling it in terms of injuries and we’ve started feeling it in terms of functionality.”
But he was hopeful that the players would give a final push to end the MLS regular season on a positive note.
“Now all that’s left is the league, let’s try it”, the Miami coach charged his players.
