Lionel Messi to miss Inter Miami's Leagues Cup match due to injury
Messi's muscle injury has been described as 'minor' and 'slight' by team officials, and coach Javier Mascherano has reason to hope that Messi won't need much time to recover.
'Yes, I spoke to (Messi),' Mascherano said at a press conference Tuesday. 'Well, the club issued a statement that was very clear. It's a slight injury, within the bad news, it's good news.
'We don't like to estimate a return, especially in Leo's (case). He usually recovers very well from injuries and above all, normally does with speed. So we will see, but clearly for (Wednesday) he is unavailable. But then we will see how he feels, how he progresses.'
Messi came out of Miami's Leagues Cup match against Necaxa on Saturday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in the 11th minute, shortly after getting hurt in a collision with two opponents.
Miami has one regulation win and one penalty shootout win through its first two Leagues Cup matches, good for five points and third place among MLS teams. The Pumas match will be the club's last in the group stage, after which the top four MLS teams will advance to the knockouts to face Liga MX's top four.
Inter Miami resumes MLS regular-season action on Sunday at rival Orlando City.
An eight-time Ballon d'Or winner and a 2022 World Cup champion with Argentina, Messi is in his third season with Inter Miami - REUTERS
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Rugby-Mo'unga signs New Zealand Rugby deal, eligible for All Blacks in 2026
FILE PHOTO: Rugby Union - Rugby World Cup 2023 - Semi Final - Argentina v New Zealand - Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France - October 20, 2023 New Zealand's Richie Mo'unga in action REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq/File Photo (Reuters) -Flyhalf Richie Mo'unga will return to New Zealand rugby next season and be eligible to play for the All Blacks from October, 2026, as part of an 18-month contract announced on Thursday. The deal will see the Japan-based playmaker rejoin Canterbury for the 2026 National Provincial Championship and the Crusaders from the 2027 Super Rugby season. "We're really pleased to have Richie re-committing to New Zealand Rugby," Chief Executive Mark Robinson said in a statement. "He's a proven talent with a strong track record of performing on the biggest stages." Mo'unga, capped 56 times for the All Blacks and a winner of seven championship trophies at the Crusaders, has been ineligible to play for New Zealand since leaving for Japan after the 2023 World Cup in France. New Zealand Rugby restricts test selection to home-based players to try to protect its domestic competitions from talent drain. His former coach at the Crusaders, Scott Robertson, is now the All Blacks coach and has been vocal about wanting Mo'unga home and pushing for selection. Mo'unga helped Brave Lupus Tokyo seal back-to-back Japan Rugby League One titles in June while playing with a fractured hand. "He has this gift of bringing out the best in those around him and we can't wait to have him back in 2027," Crusaders CEO Colin Mansbridge said. Mo'unga's return to New Zealand a year before the 2027 World Cup in Australia will be welcomed by home fans and give Robertson another option for the coveted number 10 jersey. In Mo'unga's absence, Beauden Barrett has been Robertson's starting flyhalf in most recent tests, with Damien McKenzie the back-up playmaker. (Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)
The Sun
3 hours ago
- The Sun
Lionel Messi to miss Inter Miami's Leagues Cup match due to injury
INTER MIAMI star Lionel Messi will miss the team's Leagues Cup match against Pumas UNAM on Wednesday following a right leg injury he suffered over the weekend. Messi's muscle injury has been described as 'minor' and 'slight' by team officials, and coach Javier Mascherano has reason to hope that Messi won't need much time to recover. 'Yes, I spoke to (Messi),' Mascherano said at a press conference Tuesday. 'Well, the club issued a statement that was very clear. It's a slight injury, within the bad news, it's good news. 'We don't like to estimate a return, especially in Leo's (case). He usually recovers very well from injuries and above all, normally does with speed. So we will see, but clearly for (Wednesday) he is unavailable. But then we will see how he feels, how he progresses.' Messi came out of Miami's Leagues Cup match against Necaxa on Saturday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in the 11th minute, shortly after getting hurt in a collision with two opponents. Miami has one regulation win and one penalty shootout win through its first two Leagues Cup matches, good for five points and third place among MLS teams. The Pumas match will be the club's last in the group stage, after which the top four MLS teams will advance to the knockouts to face Liga MX's top four. Inter Miami resumes MLS regular-season action on Sunday at rival Orlando City. An eight-time Ballon d'Or winner and a 2022 World Cup champion with Argentina, Messi is in his third season with Inter Miami - REUTERS
New Straits Times
3 hours ago
- New Straits Times
'Global icon' Son Heung-min joins LAFC from Tottenham
LOS ANGELES: South Korea star Son Heung-min said he was "here to win" on Wednesday as Major League Soccer's Los Angeles FC welcomed the arrival of the "global icon" from Tottenham. The 33-year-old will reportedly cost an MLS record $26 million transfer fee, according to ESPN and The Athletic, after a decade in the Premier League where he became a household name. "I'm here to win, and I will perform," he said at an introductory press conference at BMO Stadium that was packed with US and South Korean media, fans and luminaries, including Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. He was already itching to get to work with his new teammates, after watching them beat Mexican club Tigres UANL 2-1 in a Leagues Cup match on Tuesday night amid rabid support from fans energized by rumors of his imminent arrival. "It was just, like, insane," he said. "I just wanted to run onto the pitch and show my performance." An emotional Son announced on Saturday in his homeland that he would be leaving Spurs, just months after ending the club's 17-year trophy drought by lifting the Europa League as captain. He leaves as Tottenham's fifth-highest goalscorer of all-time with 173 goals in 454 appearances. "Sonny is a global icon and one of the most dynamic and accomplished players in world football," said LAFC co-president and general manager John Thorrington. "We are proud that he has chosen Los Angeles for the next chapter of his extraordinary career." Son said it was Thorrington who sold him on LAFC. "If I'm honest, it was not my first choice," he said. "But first call, when I talked to John after the season finished, he just changed my mind. He changed my heart. He changed my brain. He showed me the destination where I should be." Son said that in departing Tottenham after a decade in which he "gave it all" he felt like he needed "a new chapter... a new challenge." Thorrington declined to discuss the reported terms of the deal, which would surpass the $22 million Atlanta United FC spent in February to acquire the rights to forward Emmanuel Latte Lath. But he said he'd had his eye on Son for years, believing his mix of charisma and humility are "what we aspire to be." In addition to Son's prowess on the pitch, LAFC can also expect him to be a massive draw among Los Angeles's large community of Koreans and Korean-Americans. His imminent arrival drew crowds on Tuesday to Los Angeles International Airport with fans waving South Korean flags and messages of support. Son will replace French striker Olivier Giroud, who was sold to Lille in July, and will share a dressing room with French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, his former teammate at Tottenham. "He's back to my captain so I have to say something nice about him because otherwise in the locker room he's gonna kill me," Son quipped of Lloris, adding that he was delighted to be reuniting with a teammate he called an amazing player and an amazing human being. He said speaking with Lloris also helped him make up his mind about the move, which coincidentally will allow him to familiarize himself with life in the United States as South Korea prepares to compete in the 2026 World Cup hosted by the USA, Mexico and Canada. Son looked relaxed as he met the press wearing understated grey and black, and after taking questions posed for pictures with his new black and gold number seven LAFC jersey. Los Angeles are currently sixth in the MLS Western Conference standings, 10 points behind leaders San Diego but with three games in hand. Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy paid tribute to Son upon his departure. "Sonny is one of the greatest players to ever wear the famous Lilywhite shirt and he has been a joy to watch over the past decade," Levy said.
