Messi's Return Looms Large as Inter Miami Gears Up for Final Games UPDATED

Update published 9/20/2023 10:35 p.m.: Lionel Messi returned to the starting lineup for Inter Miami's win over Toronto FC but was substituted out after doubling over in discomfort near midfield in the first half. He handed off his yellow captain's armband to teammate DeAndre Yedlin after playing roughly 36 minutes.

Coasting to a 4-0 shutout, Inter Miami was dominant through the rest of the match as Finnish attacker Robert Taylor scored a pair of goals to help clinch the win.

In the post-game press conference, Miami head coach Gerardo Martino touched on Messi's departure, which came minutes after Messi's teammate and former FC Barcelona partner Jordi Alba left the game early.

"We don't think it's a muscular injury — that's also from a conversation I just had with him," Martino said of Messi, as translated live at the press conference. "But we will have to continue being careful."

Taylor said Inter Miami's win was critical not only to bounce back from the team's recent loss in Atlanta, but to establish confidence that the squad can rise to the challenge in Messi's absence.

"We have to step up. There's no looking around, who could do it. Everyone has to step up individually. There's no point in being upset about it during the game. You just have to get on with it," Taylor said.

The original story follows below.

All eyes at DRV PNK Stadium will be fixated on Inter Miami FC's starting roster tonight as fans wait to see if superstar Lionel Messi will return to the lineup for the team's September 20 match against Toronto FC.

Messi trained with the team this week, but head coach Gerardo "Tata" Martino was reluctant to give a firm answer as to whether the Argentinian soccer legend and his partner on the pitch, Jordi Alba, will return this week.

Martino has indicated Messi missed time on the field because of muscular fatigue. As of Tuesday, the decision on whether Messi would play in the Toronto game was still up in the air.

"Regarding Messi and Alba, both players will train in the full session," Martino said Tuesday. "After that, we'll see if they're available to play and to what extent."

The last game Messi played was a September 7 World Cup qualifying match in which Argentina won against Ecuador 1-0 on Messi's free-kick score. He sat out his home country's subsequent win over Bolivia and then missed Inter Miami's September 16 game against Atlanta United on the Georgia team's home turf.

Inter Miami fell to Atlanta United 5-2 in its first loss since Messi joined the team in July and reversed its slumping season.

In August, Messi and his onslaught of scores propelled Inter Miami to its first championship as they prevailed in the Leagues Cup, a tournament between U.S. and Mexican soccer teams. The leading scorer in the tournament, Messi knocked in ten goals, including several spawned from acrobatic ball-handling and one gravity-defying launch from behind the penalty box.

Inter Miami could secure another trophy on September 27, when the team faces off against the Houston Dynamo in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final.

Martino highlighted his squad's busy schedule following training this week.

"Beginning on Wednesday, we have six matches in 18 days, which is one match every three days, including the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final," Martino said.

"Every player on our roster wants to play every match. That is the mentality of our group. We have a lot of matches in a short window of time, and one of my responsibilities as the coach is to care for my players and help them make the hard decisions that will give them the best chance of keeping everyone healthy during this busy run," the coach said.

On Tuesday, Inter Miami player DeAndre Yedlin spoke about how sorely Messi's presence on the field is missed. He said the soccer great slows down the game for his teammates and puts opponents on the defensive.

"Obviously you talk about Leo, he's the best player ever in the game, from the opponent's standpoint, it strikes a bit of fear in them as well," Yedlin told reporters.

Inter Miami's match against Toronto kicks off at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. ESPN Argentina reported Tuesday night that its sources were confident Messi would play. Sports outlet Marca reported that Messi would be playing some minutes, but that his status as a starter was uncertain.

In the shadow of a potential Messi-less showing, tickets for the game on resale site StubHub were going for bargain prices relative to ordinary resale ticket costs since Messi made his move to South Florida. A single ticket for the Miami-Toronto game could be had for $32 as of 2:20 p.m., a far cry from the hundreds of dollars often paid by fans to see Messi play in Major League Soccer.

Inter Miami has seven games remaining to climb away from their dismal pre-Messi record and make a run for the Major League Soccer playoffs. To qualify, they have to climb to at least ninth in the league standings.