After much waiting and anticipation, Lionel Messi will not be featured in Inter Miami’s starting lineup against Toronto FC.
The team listed Messi as a substitute for Saturday’s match.
Messi has only appeared in one MLS game in Canada after playing against Montreal on May 11. He did not play in Miami’s road game against Vancouver, infuriating some local fans who filed a class-action lawsuit against the Whitecaps and MLS over an alleged “bait-and-switch” strategy used to promote the game.
There were questions about Messi’s availability given the short turnaround after he played in Miami’s 3-2 road win over the Columbus Crew on Wednesday night.
Toronto FC needs a victory in its regular-season finale to keep alive its fading chances of qualifying for the playoffs, Saturday’s contest doesn’t have nearly the same consequences for Miami.
Miami has already sewn up a playoff berth and the midweek win in Ohio clinched the Supporters’ Shield as the regular-season champions. Miami is locked as the No. 1 seed going into the playoffs and is guaranteed home-field advantage throughout the post-season, so there’s very little incentive for Martino to give Messi any playing time in Toronto.
There is also the complication of Messi’s international commitments. After Saturday’s MLS match, Messi will fly to South America and rejoin Argentina’s national team for a pair of World Cup qualifiers against Venezuela and Bolivia on Oct. 10 and 15.
— With files from John Molinaro