Lionel Messi Injury Scare? Mascherano Reacts to Concerning Late Collision After Inter Miami Loss

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Lionel Messi Injury Scare? Mascherano Reacts to Concerning Late Collision After Inter Miami Loss originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Inter Miami has suffered its first MLS loss since May as FC Cincinnati defeated the Herons 3-0 at the TQL Stadium. Javier Mascherano's team has gone 12 MLS games without a clean sheet.
Lionel Messi did not score for Inter Miami for the first time after six straight games with goals in the MLS. Despite going down 3-0 since the 70th minute, Messi was not subbed off the game after starting multiple games for Inter Miami.
Inter Miami fans were worried near the end of the game when Messi went down in the box after a collision with an FC Cincinnati player. The Argentine star was on the floor in pain after colliding with a player's leg as he took a shot towards goal.
Messi fans are concerned about the lack of rest the star is getting lately, despite having a busy schedule this summer. Messi continued the game after the collision, and Mascherano was asked if the Inter Miami star was hurt after the game.
Javier Mascherano on Lionel Messi's Collision
Mascherano was asked about Messi's late scare during the game against FC Cincinnati. Many fans believed the number of games had caused an injury to Messi, but the head coach of Inter Miami confirms the collision he suffered was not serious.
Javier Mascherano: "Regarding Leo, I don't think it was a serious injury, it was just a knock, and he finished the match well."
After this injury scare, many believe Mascherano should consider resting Messi and other players, as the team suffered another injury. The injury list in the Inter Miami squad has increased after goalkeeper Oscar Ustari came off the pitch early.
Javier Mascherano on Injuries at Inter Miami
In the 25th minute, Ustari was subbed off the pitch due to an injury and was replaced by Rocco Rios Novo. The goalkeeper appeared to pull a hamstring. Multiple players at Inter Miami are currently suffering from a hamstring injury.
Players like Noah Allen, David Ruiz, Gonzalo Lujan, and Baltasar Rodriguez are injured due to a hamstring injury. There are now nine first-team players out of the squad due to injury.
The number of games has hurt Inter Miami players, and Mascherano mentioned fatigue as a 'key role' in the loss against FC Cincinnati. Mascherano seeks answers to avoid more injuries within the squad.
Javier Mascherano: "Clearly, we have played a lot of games. Clearly, we don't have a big squad. The intensity of the games that we have played, especially over a month and a half, has been at a very high level. We have to find an explanation for it and improve to avoid them because the team keeps being harmed by these injuries.'
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 17, 2025, where it first appeared.