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With Lionel Messi’s return to action, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner could only play a few minutes in Inter Miami’s match against Atlanta United at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Wednesday night.
Will Messi start and leave early? Will Messi come off the bench? Or will Messi even play in Atlanta?
Here’s the answer: Messi is not in the starting lineup and is listed as a substitute for Wednesday night’s game against Atlanta United.
Messi’s former teammates at FC Barcelona are also not in action at the start of the game: Luis Suarez and Jordi Alba are substitutes, while Sergio Busquets is absent due to several yellow cards.
USA TODAY Sports will provide live updates from the game here tonight.
The Atlanta United vs. Inter Miami game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET (8:30 p.m. in Argentina) and will be broadcast on Apple TV via the MLS Season Pass.
For Inter Miami, this is the second of three games in a week, which prompted coach Tata Martino to impose a possible game limit on the Argentine world champions.
After Inter Miami’s game in Atlanta, Messi and the club will face New York City FC at Yankee Stadium on Saturday.
Messi made an impressive comeback last Saturday with two goals and an assist in a 3-1 win over Philadelphia – his first game since the Copa America final on July 14, which Argentina won, after suffering a ligament injury in his right ankle.
“Leo is fine, he finished the game well. Obviously tired,” Martino told reporters on Tuesday. “It’s the first 90 minutes in a long time but it ended very well. He will travel to both games. He is available but there are three games this week, travel included, so we have to take it day by day.”
Messi says he is “very happy” after his return
Messi scored goals in the 26th and 30th minutes and assisted Luis Suarez in the 98th minute, playing the full 90 minutes in his first game since July 14.
“Honestly, I’m a little tired, the humidity and heat of Miami aren’t helping,” Messi said in an interview with Apple TV after the game. “But I really wanted to come back, I hadn’t been on the pitch for a long time. Little by little I started training with the group, I felt good and that’s why we decided that I would start. I’m very happy, very satisfied.”
Messi jerseys lead MLS sales for second year in a row
Messi’s Inter Miami jersey once again topped the MLS list of best-selling jerseys, the league announced on Tuesday. His former teammates at FC Barcelona were also listed high: Luis Suarez (2nd), Sergio Busquets (11th) and Jordi Alba (15th).
The race for the MLS Supporters’ Shield is coming to a head
Inter Miami have been favorites for most of the season to win the Supporters’ Shield, which is awarded to the club with the best MLS record. But Messi and Inter Miami will face tough competition for their second title together. Inter Miami leads with 59 points, but second-place LA Galaxy have caught up a bit with 55 points.
