The Herons were aware heading into the current MLS season that their talismanic captain would be unavailable for a period this summer. This is due to Messi’s commitment to join Argentina in their quest to defend the prestigious Copa America title.
Messi, an eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, has been a standout performer for Inter Miami this season, scoring 12 goals in as many appearances across all competitions and earning buzz for the MLS MVP award.
However, Messi will miss five matches—against the Philadelphia Union, Columbus Crew, Nashville SC, Charlotte FC, and FC Cincinnati—if Argentina advances in the Copa America on U.S. soil.
Inter Miami has demonstrated their ability to cope without Messi, winning matches even when he hasn’t contributed directly to the scoreline. Martino sees this as a positive, stating: “If these players find themselves in form, with confidence, secure, and understand the challenges of the five games after St. Louis, it’s clear that we’ll be able to survive Copa America.”
Recently, the Herons defeated D.C. United without needing a pivotal contribution from Messi and remain atop the MLS Eastern Conference. Messi has three more games—against the Vancouver Whitecaps, Atlanta United, and St Louis City SC—before departing for international duty.
Lionel Messi
Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccittini
This season he played in total 10 times for 854 minutes for Major League Soccer.
Lionel Messi scored 10 goals for Inter Miami. He procured 10 assists. He received no yellow cards and no red cards.
His team is currently 1st in Major League Soccer. In the last match Inter Miami won 1-0 against DC United.
Inter Miami performance and stats
Inter Miami is currently 1st in the Major League Soccer with 27 points.
In the last 15 games, it has won 9 times, drawn 4 times, and lost twice. In its last match, Inter Miami won 1-0 against DC United.
It has a positive goal difference after scoring 35 goals and conceding 20.