Inter Miami fans were extremely disappointed when their team was eliminated in the round of 16 of the Leagues Cup with a 2-3 loss to Colombus Crew on August 14, after leading 2-0, and asked when Messi would return?
Coach Tata Martino once said that Messi’s injury was not serious, he could only miss 2 matches and would be able to return from the knockout matches of the Leagues Cup in August. In particular, the 37-year-old player is most likely to be present in the round of 16 when Inter Miami meets Colombus Crew.
Inter Miami fans ask when Messi will return?
AFP
However, Messi is still absent and has not practiced on the field. Despite not having this famous player, Inter Miami still achieved impressive results, including the 65 minutes of the match against Colombus Crew (leading 2-0). However, they suddenly collapsed quickly in the remaining time against Colombus Crew, when they conceded 3 goals in a row and lost 2-3.
“I am extremely sad about this result. We played extremely well in the first 65 minutes of the match. But then, a mistake happened when we did not retreat to protect the result, but continued to move forward. The first 2 goals conceded, our players were in a situation where they had to run back because of counterattacks. This is regrettable. We created conditions for Colombus Crew to turn the situation around”, coach Tata Martino expressed.
However, coach Tata Martino’s explanation did not convince Inter Miami fans, as they believed that it was the coach’s mistake in substituting players that cost the team.
In addition, the incomprehensible caution with Messi’s case also caused an unstable mentality among Inter Miami players, making the wait for this player to return increase.
Messi is still undergoing physical therapy to recover from an ankle injury, and has continued to take time off with his family recently
The defeat in the Leagues Cup and the exit in the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup have left Inter Miami with only one goal in the 2024 season, which is to aim for the MLS Cup championship at the end of the year.
Inter Miami is currently at the top of the MLS Eastern Conference standings with 53 points after 25 matches. Their next match will be against the opponent ranked right after them, FC Cincinnati (48 points), at 6:30 a.m. on August 25 at home.
Messi is expected to return to play in this match, after more than 2 months of absence due to injury in Copa America. This is also the remaining opportunity for this famous player to make his mark with Inter Miami in his second season playing in the US. But the difficulty has increased, when a series of MLS clubs have significantly strengthened their stars from Europe, such as LA Galaxy with Marco Reus after owning Riqui Puig. Meanwhile, Los Angeles FC has French star Olivier Giroud who has just joined goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
