Lionel Messi has been playing a lot of soccer recently.
By virtue of his incredible Leagues Cup success, Messi has now played seven games within his first month with Inter Miami. He has started all but one of those games, and has gone the full 90 in his past five.
The most recent of those outings came in Saturday’s Leagues Cup final against Nashville SC. Like every other game he’s played for the Herons so far, Messi scored and his team won.
After lifting the Leagues Cup, Inter Miami will now have the chance to clinch a double with just two more victories in the U.S. Open Cup. On Wednesday, Messi and Co. will travel to Ohio to face FC Cincinnati in the semifinal.
Speaking to the media on Monday, Inter Miami head coach Tata Martino said that he would have to rest the 36-year-old Messi at some point, but with another trophy on the line, Wednesday won’t be the time to do so.
“We said that at some point he would have to rest because of the load of minutes played,” Martino said. “Clearly, Wednesday is not going to be that day. If he does not tell me he wants to rest, he will continue to play.”
The winner the Inter Miami-Cincinnati semifinal will face either Real Salt Lake or Houston in the final on September 27.
Messi, who has now scored 10 goals in seven games with Inter Miami, has yet to play in any competition outside of the Leagues Cup. After he makes his Open Cup debut on Wednesday, he is set to play in his first MLS match on Saturday when Inter Miami faces the New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena.
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