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Inter Miami captain Lionel Messi has missed out on his side's last two games this week, leading to concern about the injuries that troubled him last season. Coach Javier Mascherano has issued a report highlighting the reason behind the 37-year-old Argentine's unavailability for the Herons today.
Messi was a conspicuous absentee for Mascherano's side as they faced Jamaican outfit Cavalier SC in the CONCACAF Champions Cup Round of 16 on Thursday. The former Barcelona man had also missed out against Houston Dynamo a few days ago, as well.
The coach revealed the reason for Messi's absence after his side claimed a 2-0 win at home to the Jamaican club. Speaking to reporters, he revealed that Lionel Messi's is being managed after his high-octane start to the season, to prevent injuries.
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“I am guided by what the doctors tell me, and the doctors have told me that he has no injuries or scars. He is tired from having played three games in six days, from the changes in the weather, from a lot of situations, and since we want to take care of him and we intend not to aggravate that fatigue, we decided to rest him," Mascherano said via News18.
Lionel Messi was only able to play 19 regular MLS games in 2024, missing out on the entirety of his side's unsuccessful Leagues Cup defence through injury. He also appeared just three times as the Herons reached the CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinals before crashing out to Monterrey.
Messi played in all of his side's pre-season games heading into the 2025 season, and featured in games against Sporting KC twice and New York City FC. The forward has been included in Argentina's preliminary list for this month's internationals by manager Lionel Scaloni.
Inter Miami secure second straight win without Lionel Messi
Inter Miami were without captain Lionel Messi for a second game in a row but managed to claim a 2-0 win over Cavalier SC. The Herons had previously overcome Houston Dynamo 4-1 in the MLS on Sunday, as they continue an impressive start to life under Javier Mascherano.
With Messi not even on the bench for the Herons, they needed to wait until the second half to take the lead through Tadeo Allende, who finished off a Sergio Busquets pass after 61 minutes. The Herons doubled their tally with seven minutes left to play at the Chase Stadium, as Luis Suarez scored for the third successive game.
On-loan from Celta Vigo, Allende has now scored four goals for Inter Miami, including one in each of his last three games. The MLS giants secured a first leg win over Cavalier SC in their CONCACAF Champions Cup clash to take charge of the tie ahead of next week's second leg.
