Lionel Messi won’t wear flamingo pink for the first time on the field for Inter Miami or the rest of Major League Soccer for another week.
Before presenting the world’s best soccer player, Miami has one more game. On Saturday, they will play at home against St. Louis City in a game between the worst team in the Eastern Conference and the best team in the West.
Messi is leaving Paris Saint-Germain and joining the new MLS team. This has been known for weeks. Jorge Mas, the owner of Miami, told media that Messi will make his club debut on July 21 against Liga MX team Cruz Azul in the first Leagues Cup game.
Inter Miami announced this week that there would be a “major unveiling event” on Sunday evening at their home field in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. They didn’t name Messi, but they did say that it would be a “major event.” Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, both of whom play for Spain, are also likely to join the team.
But since beating New England on May 13, Inter Miami (5-13-3, 18 points) hasn’t won an MLS game. After that win, the team dropped seven games in a row. Then, in July, they played three draws in a row. Last Saturday, Benjamin Cremaschi and Noah Allen scored in a 2-2 draw with D.C. United on the road.
“This is a very competitive team that is doing what they can on the field to solve the problems we’re having off the field,” Miami’s new coach Tata Martino told reporters Monday. “In each game, they fight. No matter how this team looks in a month, the guys who are here now are stepping up and doing a great job.
St. Louis (12-8-2, 38 points) could be caught by Miami at a good time. The new team will play its third game in eight days. On Wednesday, the team lost 3-0 on the road to Los Angeles FC.
Roman Burki has had a great first season in MLS. He has had six shutouts, but from the 72nd minute on, he let three goals in against a powerful LAFC attack. But the team’s performance as a whole didn’t bother boss Bradley Carnell.
“I don’t like the outcome,” Carnell said. “The score is bad, but I think the way the team played gave me a lot to be hopeful about.”
Nicholas Gioacchini has scored the most goals for St. Louis with eight. Eduard Lowen has scored five goals and has the most helpers on the team with six. Josef Martinez, a former MVP of the league, has scored six goals to lead Miami.