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Inter Miami manager Tata Martino has said his star attacker Lionel Messi wasn't fit enough to feature in the US Open Cup final defeat to Houston Dynamo on Wednesday (September 27).
In a rather lopsided title match at the DRV PNK Stadium in Miami, Houston took the lead through Griffin Dorsey after 24 minutes. Nine minutes later, Amine Bassi converted from the spot to further peg back the hosts.
Without their talismanic captain, the Herons struggled to muster a response. It took till the second minute of stoppage time when Josef Martinez reduced arrears. However, it proved to be too little too late as Houston saw off the remaining four minutes to lift the trophy.
Martino has now explained that Messi - who was subbed off early in the 4-0 MLS win over Toronto last week - wasn't hit enough to feature against Houston, even from the bench. The Miami boss said (as per The Daily Mail):
"It wasn't prudent for him to play, not even to consider him for a few minutes. We will go match-by-match and see where the medical department can give us the okay."
The Argentine wizard has been struggling with his fitness since he asked to come off towards the end of the 1-0 FIFA 2026 World Cup qualifier win against Ecuador. He missed three more games before returning for the clash against Toronto FC on September 20. However, he was subbed off in the 37th minute, reportedly because of an old scar tissue injury.
About his team's lacklustre performance, Martino said that it was the cumulative effect of playing too many games. The Argentine added that had the final gone to extra time, the players wouldn't have had the legs for their weekend MLS clash with New York City:
"I saw a worn team, the consequence of so many matches. If this match went into extra time, the match Inter Miami has on Saturday would have to be played by the technical staff.
"At some point, we were going to see the consequences of so many games. We began to feel them on the side of the injuries and on the performance side."
The Herons take on ninth-placed New York - occupying the last playoff spot - on Saturday (September 30) as they seek to stay alive in the playoff race. Martino's side are five points behind New York but have two games in hand.
What's next for Lionel Messi's Inter Miami?
Lionel Messi and Co. have four more games in the MLS to go before they wind up their regular season. After taking on New York City on September 30, Inter Miami travel to Chicago four days later.
Martino's side then take on Cincinnati at home on October 7 before they play their final MLS regular season game at Charlotte exactly two weeks later - after the international break.
With their slim postseason hopes dangling by a thread, Lionel Messi and Co. cannot drop any points, having won once in their last three league games. Messi's participation against New York this weekend remains unclear at this point.
