Lionel Messi is still questionable to play for Inter Miami in the US Open Cup final on Wednesday against Houston Dynamo. The decision on Messi’s participation will be taken at the “last minute,” Inter Miami coach Gerardo Martino informed reporters on Tuesday. Houston Dynamo will be the opposing team in the match.
Messi’s old colleague from Barcelona, the Spaniard Jordi Alba, is nearly set to be ruled out of the game for Miami, but Messi’s coach, Gerardo Martino, stated that there is still a possibility that the Argentine World Cup winner might have some part in the match.
We are going to hold off until tomorrow, which is Wednesday — Jordi. Martino responded by saying, “I don’t think so; it’s difficult,” adding, “but Leo, we will wait until tomorrow; we will wait until the last minute to make a decision.”
Since Lionel Messi has joined Miami FC, the club has already triumphed in the League Cup, and now they have a chance to add another title to their collection with a victory in the championship match.
Martino stated that if there were not a trophy on the line, they would not even be considering playing Messi in the game.
He stated that it was solely related to the conclusion of the course. If this were one of the 34 games that make up the regular season of Major League Soccer, we wouldn’t take a chance.
“It seems sense to hold off. If it were any other kind of contest, I don’t think we’d be willing to take that kind of a chance.”
Before Inter Miami’s match versus Houston in the final of the US Open Cup, Lionel Messi chose not to take part in the open section of the team’s training session.
The seven-time winner of the Ballon d’Or is currently battling with an issue that was initially diagnosed as muscle weariness but now appears to be some kind of ailment. Martino has previously referred to old “scars” that are causing the player discomfort.
Martino stated, “I will sit down with him, and see how he feels about it.”
“We always chat, and we will come together to figure out the most effective approach. There are three factors that need to be taken into consideration: the player, the final, and the following. It is necessary for us to evaluate all three aspects.
Martino stated that Messi’s status was “day to day” prior to the Sunday match against Orlando City, in which Miami was involved in a 1-1 draw.
Although Martin joked that Messi and Alba joined in after the media had departed, neither Messi nor Alba participated in Inter’s training session, which was open to the media for the first 15 minutes of the session.
Messi has not been performing well since Argentina’s World Cup qualifier against Ecuador on September 7, when he was taken out of the game in the 88th minute and replaced.
After the international break, he went back to his club after not playing in the second qualifying match for the world champions, which took place five days later in Bolivia.
After that, Messi did not play for Miami in their loss to Atlanta by the score of 5-2 on September 16. Coach Martino explained that Messi was absent due to muscle tiredness.
After that, he started the home game against Toronto, but he was forced to be replaced in the 38th minute. This was only a few minutes after Jordi Alba was taken out of the game.
Following the conclusion of the championship match, Miami will have five games left in the Major League Soccer regular season to try to make a late push into the playoff places.
On Saturday, Martino’s club will take on New York City FC, who are now in ninth place and hold the final berth in the Eastern Conference that qualifies for the playoffs. They are five points ahead of Martino’s squad.
The United States Open Cup is the longest-running and most prestigious soccer event in the United States. It was first played in 1914 and is a knockout competition open to both amateur and professional clubs.