Lionel Messi to Miss Another Game for Inter Miami

Inter Miami's Argentine forward #10 Lionel Messi controls the ball during the Major League Soccer (MLS) football match between Inter Miami CF and Toronto FC at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on September 20, 2023. (Photo by Chris Arjoon / AFP)
Inter Miami's Argentine forward #10 Lionel Messi controls the ball during the Major League Soccer (MLS) football match between Inter Miami CF and Toronto FC at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on September 20, 2023. (Photo by Chris Arjoon / AFP)
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Lionel Messi to Miss Another Game for Inter Miami

Inter Miami's Argentine forward #10 Lionel Messi controls the ball during the Major League Soccer (MLS) football match between Inter Miami CF and Toronto FC at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on September 20, 2023. (Photo by Chris Arjoon / AFP)
Inter Miami's Argentine forward #10 Lionel Messi controls the ball during the Major League Soccer (MLS) football match between Inter Miami CF and Toronto FC at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on September 20, 2023. (Photo by Chris Arjoon / AFP)

Lionel Messi returned to Inter Miami's lineup on Wednesday night. It was a short-lived comeback, and now he's sidelined again.
Messi was subbed off in the 37th minute of Inter Miami's match against Toronto, after spending a few minutes laboring with what appeared to be a leg issue. Miami came up big without him, winning 4-0 to move within five points of the final playoff spot in Major League Soccer's Eastern Conference.
Robert Taylor, who came on for Messi, had two goals and an assist. But Messi's status overshadowed everything, and Inter Miami coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino said after the game that the Argentine star will miss Sunday's game at Orlando.
“He had an old injury that had been bothering him,” Martino said, as relayed through a team official who translated his remarks from Spanish to English.
In an earlier answer that was not translated, Martino said Messi would miss at least one more match. The 36-year-old Messi had missed two matches — one for club, the other for country — in recent days, after sitting out Argentina’s World Cup qualifying win at Bolivia on Sept. 12, and Inter Miami’s 5-2 loss at Atlanta United this past Saturday.
Fatigue was cited in both cases, and the team did not provide any diagnosis of what is troubling the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner now. The game was scoreless when Messi was subbed out.
It was the second big injury blow for Inter Miami on Wednesday. Jordi Alba — another celebrated midseason addition — had to leave in the 34th minute, shortly before Messi's night was over. Alba will not play Sunday, either.
“We had to step up,” The Associated Press quoted Taylor as saying.
Facundo Farias and second-half sub Benjamin Cremaschi had the other goals.
“It shows the depth that we have on our team,” goalie Drake Callender said.
Messi had a couple of chances Wednesday, and appeared to stop running somewhat abruptly after carrying the ball deep into the Toronto box in the 33rd minute. He was barely engaged after that, leaning forward at one point as if to stretch the back of his legs, then eventually took off his captain's armband — actually trying a long pass while holding the armband — before waiting for play to stop so he could depart.
Messi didn’t even wait to come off the field before unlacing his cleats, lowering his socks and removing his shin guards. He placed the captain's band onto the arm of DeAndre Yedlin — who was Inter Miami's captain before Messi began his stint with the team in July — and now it's anyone's guess when Messi will wear it again. The team would likely want him to play in the US Open Cup final on Sept. 27.
Martino, per the team's translation, said Messi was removed from Wednesday's game “to be safe.”
“We don’t think it’s a muscular injury. That’s also from a conversation that I just had with him,” Martino said via the translation, even though Messi was stretching in a manner that suggested otherwise before leaving the field. “But we have to continue being careful and we’ll look at him the next few days.”
Wednesday’s match was the first of what will be six for Inter Miami in a span of 17 days. The team plays at Orlando on Sunday, then will host Houston in the US Open Cup final on Sept. 27. That will be followed by three more MLS matches in short order: against New York City FC on Sept. 30, at Chicago on Oct. 4 and playing host to Cincinnati on Oct. 7.
The daunting stretch will be even tougher if Messi isn't around. Miami entered Wednesday seven points behind D.C. United for the final playoff spot in the East, with two matches in hand. D.C. United picked up a point by tying Atlanta on Wednesday, so Inter Miami's three points for its win cut the deficit to five.
Despite its place in the standings, Inter Miami now controls its postseason destiny. Win out in MLS matches, and a team that was at the bottom of the conference before Messi arrived will be in the playoffs.
The Atlanta game halted what had been a 12-match unbeaten streak for Inter Miami since Messi debuted for the team against Mexican side Cruz Azul in the Leagues Cup on July 21. Inter Miami had gone 8-0-4 in those 12 matches, with three of those games that ended as ties being outcomes for the team to celebrate after advancing on penalty kicks — two in the Leagues Cup, including the final against Nashville for the Miami club’s first-ever trophy, and another in the US Open Cup semifinals.
Messi has now appeared in 12 matches over two months for Miami, most of them in Leagues Cup and US Open Cup competition. He ha 11 goals and eight assists, and one goal and two assists in four MLS matches.



Sinner and Alcaraz Breeze through Shanghai Masters Openers

Carlos Alcaraz of Spain reacts during his Men's Singles match against Juncheng Shang of China at the Shanghai Masters tennis tournament in Shanghai, China, 05 October 2024. (EPA)
Carlos Alcaraz of Spain reacts during his Men's Singles match against Juncheng Shang of China at the Shanghai Masters tennis tournament in Shanghai, China, 05 October 2024. (EPA)
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Sinner and Alcaraz Breeze through Shanghai Masters Openers

Carlos Alcaraz of Spain reacts during his Men's Singles match against Juncheng Shang of China at the Shanghai Masters tennis tournament in Shanghai, China, 05 October 2024. (EPA)
Carlos Alcaraz of Spain reacts during his Men's Singles match against Juncheng Shang of China at the Shanghai Masters tennis tournament in Shanghai, China, 05 October 2024. (EPA)

Carlos Alcaraz and top-ranked Jannik Sinner showed no signs of fatigue from their China Open final earlier this week to advance with comfortable straight-set victories in their opening matches of the Shanghai Masters on Saturday.

The second-ranked Alcaraz, who beat the Italian in Beijing on Wednesday for his fourth title of the year, recorded his 10th consecutive win with a 6-2, 6-2 result against 19-year-old Shang Juncheng of China.

The 21-year-old Spaniard won the first nine points of the match and four of seven break points as he rushed into a third-round meeting with another Chinese player, Wu Yibing.

“I’m not used to playing against players younger than me,” Alcaraz said. “He has been playing good tennis lately, lifting his first ATP (title in Chengdu), so I’m pretty sure he’s going to climb the rankings. I’m just happy to to be able to win these kinds of matches.”

Sinner, who is dealing with an ongoing doping case, had a comfortable 6-1, 6-4 outing against Taro Daniel of Japan for his 250th career win.

The Italian, who won the US Open last month for his second major of the year, fired 12 aces and 38 winners.

“I felt quite comfortable today,” said the 23-year-old Sinner, who next plays Tomas Martin Etcheverry of Argentina. “I feel in good shape also physically, which is very important for me. Of course I will try to improve for tomorrow’s performance, but today I was serving really, really well, especially in important moments, and was moving well.”

No. 65-ranked Jakub Mensik of the Czech Republic broke sixth-ranked Andrey Rublev seven times on his way to an upset 6-7 (7), 6-4, 6-3 victory.

Yosuke Watanuki also had a surprise win, beating No. 35-ranked Brendan Nakashima 7-6 (4), 6-3. The Japanese qualifier plays either seventh-ranked Taylor Fritz of the US or French qualifier Terence Atmane next.

Also, 24th-ranked Alexei Popyrin of Australia beat Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia 6-3, 6-2.

Later Saturday, third-ranked Alexander Zverev began his campaign against Italian qualifier Mattia Bellucci, while fourth-ranked Novak Djokovic faced Alex Michelsen of the United States.