The Inter Miami stars both appear set to play in front of a huge Gillette Stadium crowd on Saturday
The artificial turf at Gillette Stadium will not prevent Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez from playing in Inter Miami’s match at the New England Revolution, according to head coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino.
A crowd of more than 60,000 is expected in Foxborough on Saturday, as Boston-area fans get their chance to see Inter Miami’s stars in action.
Martino’s words at Friday’s press conference will be reassuring to those fans, who appear set to see most of Inter Miami’s big names — save for the injured Jordi Alba — take on the Revs in a MLS matchup.
“The players are all available, and those who are healthy will travel. We will see the formation to face the New England Revolution a little later,” Martino said. “We previously played on artificial turf at Charlotte last year, and had no problem.”
After signing with Miami last year, Messi shrugged off any concerns that he would skip matches on turf.
“I did all of my youth career on artificial turf,” Messi told reporters last August. “It’s been a long time since I played on turf, but I don’t have a problem with it.”
Messi played the full match on Charlotte FC’s turf field in October, as the Herons fell 1-0 at Bank of America Stadium.
Despite his well-documented knee issues, Suárez also looks set to play on Saturday after beginning his MLS career with six goals in nine games.
New signing Matías Rojas will be available to make his Inter Miami debut, but Alba will continue to sit as he recovers from a hamstring strain.
“Matías Rojas forms part of the roster and will travel with the team to face New England Revolution. But Jordi Alba will not travel. I said last week that he wouldn’t be available against the Revolution, but starting next week we will monitor him game by game,” Martino said.
New England Revolution vs. Inter Miami (MLS)
When: Saturday, April 27
Where: Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, MA)
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Channel/streaming: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV (WATCH LIVE)
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Rayados assistant Nico Sanchez claimed the Argentina legend wanted to fight him
Monterrey assistant coach Nico Sánchez has apologized following a leaked audio clip in which he said of Lionel Messi: “The dwarf was possessed. He had the face of the devil.”
Sánchez said he shared the audio clip with close friends in the aftermath of last week’s Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal first leg between Inter Miami and Monterrey.
Messi didn’t play in the match, which ended in a 2-1 win for Monterrey, but was involved in a reported post-game altercation with referees and Monterrey officials alongside teammates Jordi Alba, Luis Suárez and Miami coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino.
The Miami players and coach took issue with several of the referee’s decision during the match, and were reportedly also upset with pre-match comments from Monterey head coach Fernando Ortiz suggesting Miami would receive preferential treatment from officials due to the celebrity status of some of its players.
“Messi wanted to fight me,” Sánchez said in the audio, which was leaked by Fox Sports Mexico. “I don’t think he wanted to hit me because he would have done it. He had me a centimeter away.
“The dwarf was possessed, he had the face of the devil. He put his fist next to my face and says: ‘Who do you think you are?’
“And Tata Martino, what a poor dummy, I had him in front of me telling me: ‘Fool, you going to cry? Fool you going to cry?’ What a dummy! All those videos, they probably erased them all because it leaves them looking bad. What they did was really serious. They want to dirty the pitch.”
In a statement on social media, Sánchez apologized for his comments, though he would only name Martino, not Messi, during his apology.
“I am present with this video to talk about this audio that went viral today. I could hide with a text or let the club act for me, but I prefer to choose this means to show my face and see the words come out of my mouth,” Sánchez said.
“I understand that when the audio is made public, many people feel offended or hurt. Since I do not know Inter coach, Gerardo Martino, and I referred to him in a disrespectful manner, I apologize. I am as Argentine as all of them and I will always defend my club. I’m here to show my face and take responsibility,” Sánchez said.
Miami and Monterrey will meet on Wednesday in Mexico for the second leg. While Messi sat out the first game, he is set to participate in the return leg after he made his return to MLS play this weekend. The Argentine scored a goal after coming on at halftime of his side’s 2-2 draw with the Colorado Rapids.
The Herons have never faced an opponent like this before. Can they prove their mettle?
MLS has never had a team like Inter Miami, and the Herons have never had a challenge like what lies in wait over the next week.
On Wednesday, Chase Stadium will play host to the first leg of Miami’s Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal against mighty Monterrey, the Liga MX powerhouse that has won five continental trophies in the last 15 years.
The Herons’ brief, strange history includes an unprecedented punishment for salary cap violations, a protracted (but ultimately successful) stadium push, a grand total of two MLS playoff games (both 3-0 losses) and of course the landmark achievement that is bringing Lionel Messi to MLS.
The club is the first in MLS history to have its shirt be Adidas’ top-selling jersey of any kind (that’s the pink Messi No. 10 jersey seen just about anywhere you can find soccer fans). Even if you took Messi out of the equation, the presence of Luis Suárez, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba would make the Herons a unique phenomenon in MLS.
It’s been a roller coaster ride in south Florida, but a thrilling run to the 2023 Leagues Cup title represents the only proof that the sporting side of the endeavor might actually work.
“The culture of wanting to win, to be competitive in all competitions, to play against very good teams as an equal, that is all getting built with our history,” head coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino told reporters on Tuesday.
“We’re starting in our first steps. Last year, we managed to win a competition. This year, we’ve grown, and the level of what we’re going to compete against [has too]. The level of the competition that we’re going to go up against in Monterrey is the most important [challenge] that we have this year up to this time.
Martino concluded with an astute summation of the task ahead of his side: “Basically it’s this: being a reliable team week after week, changing into a very important team not just for the moment but for a long time.”
Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
During that Leagues Cup run, Miami announced itself as not just a collective of famous players, but as a seriously formidable team. With Messi making his debut, the Herons suddenly sprang to life. In less than four weeks, Miami reeled off victories (whether in regulation play or via shootout) over Cruz Azul, Atlanta United, Orlando City, FC Dallas, Charlotte FC, the Philadelphia Union, and Nashville SC.
However, through the way the bracket developed, Cruz Azul ended up being the only Mexican club between Miami and that first-ever trophy. With all due respect to La Maquina, that group-stage clash is currently not the same thing as a two-legged Concacaf Champions Cup contest with Monterrey.
Around the time of the Leagues Cup, Cruz Azul was in the process of finishing 16th out of 18 teams in the Mexican Apertura season. Monterrey, meanwhile, finished in second over the same period, and at the time of writing is tied atop the Clausura standings with 28 points. We’re talking about a team that has won five of the last 13 editions of Concacaf’s premier club competition.
To define the difference between the sides with one metric, soccer transfer tracker Transfermarkt values Miami’s full squad at roughly $91 million, or around $25 million more than any other MLS club. Monterrey, meanwhile, breaks the nine-digit barrier, with its players’ collective transfer valuation clocking in at $102 million.
When you consider how top-heavy Miami is — Messi alone accounts for $31.2 million of Miami’s total — the challenge comes into focus. Monterrey may not have a single global star on the level of Messi or Suárez, but Martino can’t call on anything close to the depth Fernando Ortiz has at his disposal. Monterrey’s squad isn’t just deeper than Miami’s; it’s younger, and thus more able to physically compete in multiple competitions.
On top of that, Messi is a gametime decision. The iconic forward didn’t play over the weekend against New York City FC, and the will he/won’t he dynamic has become familiar for the Herons.
On one hand, it’s good that the team has learned to win without its biggest star. On the other, it’s hard to believe this group can find its highest level without the best player to ever kick a ball.
For his part, Suárez — even after winning so many things at some of the world’s biggest clubs — is hungry to prove that the Miami project can succeed.
“These are the games that you like to play. The team has to show what we’re here for,” the Uruguay star told reporters on Tuesday. “It’s a key game tomorrow. It’s not enough to just have the name of the players, you have to show it on the field.
“Our attitude is going to be to show, on the field over 180 minutes, that we [can be] the best on the field. We can’t look at anything outside. What we do on the field is what counts, and against a rival like Monterrey — who is very powerful, who has quality players — is a beautiful thing for us.”
Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
In some ways, Miami’s aspirations are MLS’s. The league has long desired global respect, but has for some time now been stuck behind Liga MX (or at least, Mexico’s biggest clubs) in Concacaf. MLS clubs have earned the right to claim supremacy in the region just four times since the league began play in 1996. Until that starts to change on a regular basis, MLS’s desire for a place as one of the world’s best leagues remains out of reach.
Miami, like MLS as a whole would love to have prominence across the world for something other than being where Messi happens to play A good start to this MLS season, or winning a newfangled competition like the Leagues Cup last year, is where that starts.
This quarterfinal clash against Concacaf’s most consistently successful soccer concern is the chance to remove any doubt that Miami can be a repository for aging superstars, and win when it counts.
Of playing under Martino, the Mexico star said: “It was like going to the military”
Mexico star Hirving “Chucky” Lozano has slammed former national team coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino, saying that the Argentine treated him and his teammates like children during his tenure.
Martino was in charge of Mexico from 2019 to 2022, when he stepped down immediately after El Tri failed to advance from the World Cup group stage.
The current Inter Miami head coach never seemed to fully embrace his role with Mexico, oftentimes sparring with media over deficiencies within the team and in the Mexican soccer system as a whole.
According to Lozano, the coach didn’t make a great impression with his players either, charging that he instilled a disciplinary style that caused friction between coaches and the team.
“The truth is that for me there were many stumbles in how to handle the national team in every sense,” the PSV attacker told TUDN.
“Tata, for me, the truth is there was never a good connection between the coaching staff and the players, because the truth is that they treated us like little children. It was like going to the military.
“Managing the group like that I think was a very big mistake. For me, the truth is that there were some decisions on their part that were not correct.”
Lozano said that the 2022 World Cup was “the straw that broke the camel’s back” when it came to Martino, adding that when he returned to Napoli, his club at the time, he went through a difficult period of reflection.
“The truth is that the World Cup was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” the 28-year-old said. “Personally, I left very satisfied because I gave my maximum as always, as you can see in the statistics.
“The truth is that I was disappointed, because Mexico did not deserve that. I went into the World Cup very excited and I lived it to the fullest, but it was a very big disappointment.
“I went through a very complicated month when I returned from the World Cup to Napoli, because I didn’t feel like doing anything. It was a very complicated period. I think it was a time to meditate and see what I had done, and the truth is that that World Cup was difficult.”
Now under coach Jaime Lozano, Mexico will face Panama on Thursday in the Concacaf Nations League semifinal. The winner will take on the winner between the U.S. and Jamaica in the final on Sunday.
How bad is Lionel Messi’s injury? It might just boil down to who you believe.
Messi was in street clothes for Inter Miami’s dramatic 1-1 draw with New York City FC, a match that saw the Herons equalize in stoppage time and nearly claim a priceless victory with an even later effort that smacked off the underside of the crossbar.
Despite the wild finish to a game that was delayed by storms around DRV PNK Stadium, Messi remained the major talking point after the match.
A report from the Inter Miami Podcast (which is not affiliated with the team) said that Messi had “sustained a 2 [centimeter] hamstring tear, confirmed via MRI, likely shutting him down for the remainder of the MLS season.”
After the match, head coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino dismissed the report as incorrect.
“Time will tell whether what I am saying is true or whether that person who made the report is right,” Martino said in his post-match press conference. “It is what I said. We’re going to see this game to game.
“We’re going to evaluate him. If he’s going to be on the bench, if he’s going to be [unavailable], whether against Chicago or FC Cincinnati, we’re going to see that. He’s training on the field apart from the group, but he’s feeling better and better.”
Messi has been seen at Miami’s recent training sessions doing work to at least some extent, though just how much he’s capable of remains unclear. Martino had previously declared that Messi would return before the end of the MLS season.
(Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
Miami still holds a glimmer of hope if Messi returns
With time running out on the regular season, the single point was not really what Messi’s side needed.
However, with the Eastern Conference playoff race being a sloppy, slippery mess, Miami actually finished the night one point closer to the top nine than it was when play started. Of the seven teams vying for the final two spots still available, only one (the Chicago Fire) won on Saturday, with three suffering defeat elsewhere.
The bad news? The Herons sit four points behind ninth-place CF Montréal (who are ahead of D.C. United and the Fire on the games-won tiebreaker). With just four games to go, there’s just no room for error.
The good? Miami has a game in hand on Montréal and Chicago, and two on D.C., meaning that it will only take a couple of slip-ups from teams that seem immune to going on any sort of positive streak for Miami to have an opening.
“We have been playing many games and they are all decisive games, not only mentally but physically,” said Martino. “What we did today was with dignity and despite all the problems, we are trying to win. When we started, we were in last place three months ago, and these guys were able to put us where we are today. We have great expectations.”
Miami has been battling late in a series of close games, even as the club’s schedule remains relentless. The club’s draw with NYCFC was its fifth match in two weeks, a figure that will climb by two within the next six days. The Herons face a trip to Chicago to take on the Fire on Wednesday, followed by a Saturday home clash with Cincinnati.
Inter Miami has five MLS games left as it looks to push into playoff position
After Lionel Messi missed the U.S. Open Cup final on Wednesday, Inter Miami head coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino insisted that the Argentina superstar would play again this season.
Messi watched on in street clothes as Miami fell 2-1 to the Houston Dynamo, with the visitors scoring two first-half goals and holding on late after the home side grabbed a goal in second-half stoppage time.
The Open Cup final was the third game out of four that Messi has missed, while he was removed before halftime of the only game he played — last week’s win over Toronto FC.
The nature of Messi’s issue isn’t fully clear. Martino has continued to say that the 36-year-old isn’t actually injured, but instead is dealing with “muscular fatigue” and “old scar tissue.”
But when Messi couldn’t even make the bench for a final, it was clear that he is dealing with an issue slightly more serious then mere fatigue.
After the game, however, Martino said that his star player’s season wasn’t over.
“It was not prudent for him to play, not even to consider him for a few minutes because we would have run risks,” Martino said in a press conference.
“And yes, he will surely play before the end of the season.
“We will go match by match defining the situation to see at what point the medical department tells us that he is fit to play without taking risks.”
Inter Miami is still alive for a playoff spot, but is 14th out of 15 teams in the Eastern Conference. With five games to play, Miami is five points back of NYCFC in the ninth and final playoff position in the East.
Though Miami has two games in hand over NYCFC, it still has to leapfrog five teams to move into playoff position.
The Herons’ next game, coincidentally, is against NYCFC on Saturday.
Messi and Alba have both been dealing with muscle fatigue in recent weeks
Inter Miami head coach Tata Martino has said Lionel Messi will be a game-time decision for Wednesday night’s U.S. Open Cup final against the Houston Dynamo.
Martino added that left back Jordi Alba would likely not be able to play.
Messi and Alba have both been dealing with muscle fatigue in recent weeks. Alba didn’t train on Tuesday, while Messi was a partial participant.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Martino said on Messi: “We’ll wait until the last minute to see what decision we make.”
On Alba, the coach added: “Jordi, it’s going to be difficult.”
After winning the Leagues Cup in August, Inter Miami is chasing a trophy double when it hosts the Dynamo on Wednesday at DRV PNK Stadium.
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After a flying start to life with Inter Miami, fitness issues have slowed Messi in recent weeks.
The superstar missed out on Argentina’s second match of a two-game window earlier this month against Bolivia. Upon his return to the United States, Messi would then sit out Miami’s 5-2 defeat at Atlanta United.
Messi returned for last week’s win over Toronto FC, but he and Alba both left the game in the first half. Martino said Messi was dealing with “old scar tissue” while Alba had “muscular fatigue.”
The pair, along with Sergio Busquets, sat out Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Orlando City as they looked to get as fit as possible for Wednesday’s final.
Busquets looks likely to play, as he spoke with the media alongside Martino. The midfielder said his longtime Barcelona teammate would do all he could to be ready for the final.
“I think Leo has the desire to help the team and to win another championship. But like we said earlier, he’s going to know how much he can contribute,” Busquets said. “Every day that passes is a point in favor of how much he can contribute. But like we saw the other day, even after resting during Argentina’s game and our game at Atlanta, and seeming perfectly fine, [he wasn’t fit for the Toronto game].”
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The Argentine superstar could be set to miss a second straight game
Inter Miami head coach Tata Martino has said that Lionel Messi will be evaluated after Tuesday’s training session to determine if he’s able to play on Wednesday against Toronto FC.
Messi missed out on Saturday as Miami fell 5-2 at Atlanta United, snapping a run of 12 unbeaten games since the 36-year-old arrived in July.
Martino said that Messi and Jordi Alba both missed the match due to “muscular fatigue,” after Messi had also missed Argentina’s game against Bolivia over the international window. The head coach had previously insisted that Messi was not injured.
The defeat in Atlanta was damaging to Miami’s already shaky playoff hopes, with victory at home against TFC — the only team below Miami in the Eastern Conference standings — a must for the club to maintain a shot at the postseason.
But in a statement shared with the media, Martino couldn’t provide any assurances that Messi and Alba would be ready to face TFC at DRV PNK Stadium on Wednesday.
Tata Martino shares a prepared statement on Lionel Messi’s availability vs. Toronto FC.
“Every player on our roster wants to play every match. That is the mentality of our group,” Martino said. “We have a lot of important matches in a short window of time, and one of my responsibilities as the coach is to care for my players and help them make the hard decisions that will give us the best chance of keeping everyone healthy during this busy run.
“Beginning on Wednesday, we have six matches in 18 days, which is one match every three days, including the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final. Regarding Messi and Alba, both players will train in the full session today with the team and after that we’ll see if they’re available to play and to what extent.”
Martino has previously hinted that his club will prioritize the Open Cup final on September 27 against Houston, as Inter Miami looks to win a second trophy since Messi’s arrival after its Leagues Cup triumph last month.
The Inter Miami coach insisted that his star is not injured
Inter Miami head coach Tata Martino said Lionel Messi is healthy and available for his side’s match at Atlanta United on Saturday, but cautioned his team would still have to be careful with the Argentina star.
Messi only played in one of Argentina’s two matches over the recent international break. The 36-year-old scored the winner against Ecuador last week before being substituted late due to what he called fatigue.
With his team’s superstar back for a playoff push, Martino said he would make a decision on his involvement after training on Friday.
“[Messi] is fine. But we will wait until after training today to make a decision,” Martino told the media on Friday, adding that Messi trained with the team on Thursday as well.
“We will be careful with him because we have a lot of important games in a short span. But the idea is to not get Leo or any other player injured.”
When asked if Messi was injured at all, Martino replied: “He doesn’t have an injury.”
(UPDATE: Messi reportedly didn’t travel to Atlanta, which he appeared to confirm on Friday night by posting a video on Instagram of his pizza order in Miami)
Currently on a 12-game unbeaten run in all competitions, Inter Miami is getting closer to climbing back into MLS playoff position. Martino’s side is still second-bottom in the Eastern Conference, but is now only six points back of D.C. United in the last playoff position, with two games in hand.
The match against Atlanta was set to be the first time Messi played on artificial turf since his arrival to Inter Miami. Though there had been some speculation he could opt out of such matches, Messi said last month he was happy to play on turf.
“I played all of my youth career on artificial turf,” Messi told reporters. “It’s been a long time since I played on turf, but I don’t have a problem with it.”
This would be a welcome change, but could it actually work?
Is MLS on the verge of solving a problem that has dogged it since 1996?
According to Inter Miami head coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino, the league is thinking about doing away with the deeply unpopular practice of scheduling games during international windows.
“I understand that they are analyzing [how to avoid scheduling games during FIFA windows] for next year,” Martino told reporters on Tuesday. “It is probable that will happen.”
Martino was discussing the topic because he’s about to face some time without Lionel Messi. The Miami boss said that the iconic No. 10 will miss at least three of the club’s remaining 11 games due to upcoming FIFA breaks from September 4-12 and October 9-17.
That potentially throws some cold water on the idea that Miami — unbeaten in Messi’s nine appearances thus far — could manage a potentially miraculous run to an MLS playoff berth. The Herons, despite Messi Mania taking hold as the club has won the Leagues Cup and advanced to the U.S. Open Cup final, are 11 points behind the Chicago Fire, who currently sit in the final Eastern Conference playoff place.
Can MLS actually avoid playing through FIFA windows?
Messi aside, the idea that MLS could move away from something that has drawn complaints from fans, players, coaches, and teams for the league’s entire lifespan would be legitimately big news.
The gripe is obvious: Many of the league’s best players also play for their national teams. Scheduling matches while MLS sides will be without their stars makes for worse games. With no recourse — FIFA rules are crystal clear on mandating that players have to be released — MLS teams have for over a quarter-century just forged on without them.
The league taken some steps in recent years to minimize the problem, extending the season by starting earlier and ending later. Despite expanding into an unwieldy 29 teams (a number that will grow to 30 for the 2025 season), the league has stuck with each team having 34 games, even as the schedule has become less balanced as a result.
However, this year’s Leagues Cup required a total halt to MLS league play from July 15 to August 20, more or less undoing any of the gains MLS’s previous changes had made towards the realities of FIFA’s international calendar.
As a result, MLS scheduled 99 games during 2023 FIFA breaks, the large majority of which (71) came during the Gold Cup. There were 12 additional games scheduled one day after the end of international windows, which almost always sees national team players miss out again.
When push comes to shove, there’s just no time being left on the table. MLS is already getting into dubious territory scheduling games in late February, when around 15 teams are at risk of unsafe weather conditions. MLS Cup is scheduled for December 9, and a handful of northern teams will have difficulties in guaranteeing standard outdoor training sessions should they get that far.
The MLS calendar was a tight fit without the Leagues Cup, but the league clearly has its sights set on its partnership with Liga MX growing. That event may change, but it’s not going anywhere.
Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images
In 2024, there’s no reason to expect an easier time from a scheduling perspective. The Asian Cup and African Cup of Nations are both set to run from mid-January to mid-February, while Euro 2024 and Copa América will run from June to July. In addition, March, June, September, October, and November will all feature standard international windows.
That leaves MLS with very few options. The league could extend the season earlier into February, likely obliging many teams to start the season with a road-heavy schedule, while also hurting revenue in a lot of cities due to a probable attendance drop. The playoffs could also start one week later, with the same problems coming up for what are the league’s most meaningful games.
The reality is that MLS has around 42 weekends to get its season in, from start to finish, and international breaks take up five of them. The number climbs to nine when UEFA, CONMEBOL, or CONCACAF schedules a continental competition, or during a World Cup. As CONCACAF holds the Gold Cup every two years, those nine weekends for FIFA windows are going to be there every time the league sits down to hash out a schedule.
Even if one assumes that MLS will expand one week in each direction (meaning, 44 weekends to get games in), complying with every international break leaves 35 weekends to get the job done. With the Leagues Cup taking up a month, that drops to 31, a timeframe that still has to include a longer-than-ever playoff format.
Barring a move to a winter schedule that is totally unfeasible for half the league, the only other way to work around international windows is to pack the schedule with midweek play. That’s not good either: Attendance plummets on Wednesday nights even in the best-attended MLS cities. Teams get little time to actually train and improve themselves, while players end up at risk for overuse injuries. Generally speaking, in terms of quality of play and atmosphere, midweek MLS games tend to feel like the entire league took a time machine back a decade.
