Messi to Miss Next Two Miami MLS Matches with Ankle Injury

Lionel Messi will miss the Olympics but could feature at a sixth World Cup in 2026 © Patrick McDermott / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP
Lionel Messi will miss the Olympics but could feature at a sixth World Cup in 2026 © Patrick McDermott / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP
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Messi to Miss Next Two Miami MLS Matches with Ankle Injury

Lionel Messi will miss the Olympics but could feature at a sixth World Cup in 2026 © Patrick McDermott / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP
Lionel Messi will miss the Olympics but could feature at a sixth World Cup in 2026 © Patrick McDermott / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP

Lionel Messi will miss Inter Miami's next two Major League Soccer matches after injuring his right ankle in Argentina's Copa America final triumph, Miami coach Gerardo Martino said Tuesday.

The 37-year-old Argentine star went down in the 64th minute of a 1-0 victory over Colombia, hobbling off the field with cameras showing a huge swollen ankle, AFP reported.

Messi is set to miss Inter Miami home matches on Wednesday against Toronto FC and on Saturday against the Chicago Fire.

"There will be further testing to determine the severity of the situation," Martino said. "He has to have more tests and wait for the results."

Messi, in an Instagram posting, was thankful for messages of concern and support he received after Sunday's match.

"I want is to thank everyone for the messages and greetings. I'm fine, thank God, and I hope I can soon be on the field again enjoying what I like to do most," Messi wrote.

With 14 wins and five draws from 23 matches, Inter Miami ranks second in MLS and the Eastern Conference on 47 points, one behind Cincinnati, which routed Miami 6-1 on July 6.

Inter Miami is set to begin defending the Leagues Cup title against MLS and Mexican league rivals next week.



Five-time Grand Slam Champion Iga Swiatek Accepts One-month Suspension in Doping Case

 Poland's Iga Swiatek returns the ball against Italy's Jasmine Paolini during the Billie Jean King Cup semi-final tennis match at Martin Carpena Sports Hall in Malaga, southern Spain, on Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Poland's Iga Swiatek returns the ball against Italy's Jasmine Paolini during the Billie Jean King Cup semi-final tennis match at Martin Carpena Sports Hall in Malaga, southern Spain, on Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
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Five-time Grand Slam Champion Iga Swiatek Accepts One-month Suspension in Doping Case

 Poland's Iga Swiatek returns the ball against Italy's Jasmine Paolini during the Billie Jean King Cup semi-final tennis match at Martin Carpena Sports Hall in Malaga, southern Spain, on Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Poland's Iga Swiatek returns the ball against Italy's Jasmine Paolini during the Billie Jean King Cup semi-final tennis match at Martin Carpena Sports Hall in Malaga, southern Spain, on Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek accepted a one-month suspension after testing positive for the banned substance trimetazidine, a heart medication known as TMZ, the International Tennis Integrity Agency announced Thursday.

Swiatek failed an out-of-competition drug test in August, and the ITIA accepted her explanation that the result was unintentional and was caused by the contamination of a nonprescription medication, melatonin, that Swiatek was taking for issues with jet lag and sleeping, The AP reported.

It was determined her level of fault was “at the lowest end of the range for no significant fault or negligence,” the IATA said.

Swiatek is a 23-year-old from Poland who was ranked No. 1 most of the past two seasons but is now at No. 2. She won the French Open in June for her fifth major championship and took home a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics in early August.