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Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami teammates have been booked for a short trip to Central America in pre-season ahead of the 2024 MLS campaign. The MLS side will face the national team of El Salvador in a friendly to prepare them for the upcoming season.
Inter Miami recently made the official announcement, having previously had to cancel their planned tour of China last month. They will play against El Salvador on January 19 at the 45,000-capacity Estadio Cuscatlan in San Salvador.
Lionel Messi will get a chance to play against the Central Americans after being left on the bench in 2015, when Argentina faced them in a friendly in the USA. The captain will be yearning for a return to action, having missed a good chunk of the closing stages of the regular season.
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El Salvador are ranked 78th in the world and boast a number of players who ply their trade in the MLS, including their captain Alex Roldan. Eriq Zavaleta (LA Galaxy), Alex Roldan (Seattle Sounders), Harold Osorio (Chicago Fire), Jeremy Garay (DC United) and Robinson Aguirre (Colorado Rapids) all play in the MLS.
Inter Miami will get a feel of football in Central America for the first time, and it will be important for them heading into the new season. The Herons will play in the CONCACAF Champions Cup after Lionel Messi inspired them to a ticket by leading them to Leagues Cup glory.
El Salvador will be the first pre-season friendly for Inter Miami, who are expected to announce a number of others in the coming weeks. The MLS side will not be traveling to Riyadh for a friendly tournament as things stand, as they rubbished claims of such an arrangement.
Lionel Messi to get enough time to rest and recover ahead of return to action
Lionel Messi's body gave way after a frantic start to life at Inter Miami, causing him to miss the final matches of the regular season and costing them a place in the playoffs. The 36-year-old also recently picked up an injury playing for Argentina against Brazil in their CONMEBOL FIFA World Cup qualifier last month.
Inter Miami know that they have to manage their superstar forward and are aware that he can't do it all alone. They have done well by adding quality to their squad in the form of Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, giving them a chance to compete.
Lionel Messi would have had sufficient rest and recovery time to be back to 100% when pre-season begins with Inter Miami. He will be keen on leading David Beckham's club to more success.
