New York City FC star makes feelings clear about playing against Lionel Messi ahead of MLS showdown with Inter Miami

New York City FC defender Kevin O’Toole shared his excitement about playing against Lionel Messi in his team's clash against Inter Miami on Saturday, September 21. The Argentine made his comeback last week against Philadelphia Union after spending almost two months off the pitch due to an ankle injury.

Since Messi's return, Inter Miami has secured a 3-1 win against Philadelphia Union and a 2-2 draw against Atlanta United. The Herons will be looking to secure another comfortable win against NYCFC tonight to continue holding the top spot in the MLS Eastern Conference Table.

Speaking to The Post ahead of NYCFC's clash against the Herons, Kevin O'Toole said that he's looking forward to playing against Lionel Messi. The defender said:

“He’s a player I’ve looked up to my whole life, so to share the same pitch with him is going to be a great privilege.”

However, Kevin O'Toole previously faced Messi's Inter Miami in an exhibition game, where New York City FC secured a 2-1 win against the Herons. Recalling his experience, the defender added:

"It was definitely a surreal feeling. I definitely felt that in the first game. Having that experience now, it will hopefully be a bit more normal [Saturday].”

He continued:

“The environment that comes with it is going to be quite different. There’s going to be more people than what we’re used to there. It’ll all be very exciting and I’ll try to channel that.”

Inter Miami's clash against NYCFC on Saturday will mark Lionel Messi's first game against the team apart from exhibition fixtures. In their last two head-to-heads, the Argentine remained unavailable due to a hamstring injury.

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"It’s going to get easier now" - Pundit elaborates on the impact of Lionel Messi's return on Inter Miami

Lionel Messi - Source: Getty

In an interview with Extratime, pundit Matt Doyle shared his thoughts on the impact of Lionel Messi's return on the remaining games of Inter Miami. He said:

“It’s like Miami don’t need to play well for 90 minutes [to win games], they don’t even need to play well for 30 minutes, and honestly, in this game, they didn’t, they just need to play well for 10, 15 minutes and they put two [goals] on the board, and it’s going to get easier now that this guy is back in the lineup.”

Doyle also heaped praises on Lionel Messi for his sensational performance upon his return against Philadelphia Union on September 15. The Argentine scored a brace and bagged an assist in the match. Doyle added:

"The second one was just a classic Messi goal where he releases the pass and then somehow nobody tracks him. And he gets in that spot between the penalty spot and the 18-yard line and first-time finishes with that left foot. He’s scored that goal 500 times in his career."

Inter Miami are currently 63 points strong at the top of the MLS Eastern Conference table.