Lionel Messi exits Inter Miami match with apparent hamstring injury
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Lionel Messi exited Inter Miami's Leagues Cup match against Necaxa on Saturday night after suffering an apparent hamstring injury in the opening minutes.
Messi was running toward the penalty area between two defenders when he appeared to get tripped in the eighth minute. He fell to the ground and slammed his fist in frustration before walking toward midfield as play continued.
He then sat on the pitch near Inter Miami's bench as trainers came and worked on his right upper thigh area for a couple of minutes.
He was subbed out in the 11th for Federico Redondo and immediately walked to the locker room.
Miami went up 1-0 a couple minutes later on a goal by Telasco Segovia, which was assisted by Rodrigo De Paul.
Messi has dealt with numerous hamstring injuries throughout his career and has missed time over the past couple of seasons dealing with various leg injuries — the most recent issue was with his left adductor, which sidelined him for a pair of Argentina's World Cup qualifiers earlier this year.
It would seem likely that Messi will be further examined in the coming days, though it's not yet known if or when he will undergo an MRI, which is typical for soft-tissue injuries.
Miami can only advance in the Leagues Cup — a tournament the Herons won in 2023 shortly after Messi's arrival — if it scores enough goals to improve its current standing among other MLS clubs. Only the top four clubs in MLS and the top four in Liga MX will reach the knockouts.
Despite winning its opener 2-1 over Atlas on Wednesday behind Messi's two assists, Miami is ninth in the tournament's MLS standings because of goal differential.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
recommended
Item 1 of 1
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
3 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Angels turn triple play when Shohei Ohtani lines out to Zach Neto and 2 Dodgers are caught off base
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Angels turned the eighth triple play in team history Tuesday night, with shortstop Zach Neto getting two putouts and an assist off a line drive by Dodgers slugger Shohei Ohtani. Miguel Rojas was on second and Dalton Rushing was on first for the Dodgers in the sixth inning when Ohtani hit a drive right up the middle past reliever Brock Burke. Neto caught Ohtani's liner and stepped on second base in stride to get Rojas. Neto quickly threw to first, where Nolan Schanuel tagged out Rushing as the Dodgers rookie attempted to sneak back. The Angels' triple play was their first since Aug. 18, 2023. It also preserved a 5-5 tie in the latest edition of the Freeway Series. The Angels have won the first four games this season against the Dodgers.
Miami Herald
an hour ago
- Miami Herald
Inter Miami trades Drake Callender to Charlotte FC, Fede Redondo also leaving
Drake Callender, Inter Miami's starting goalkeeper for the club's record-breaking run to the 2024 MLS Supporters' Shield and the 2023 Leagues Cup title, was traded to Charlotte FC, a club source confirmed Tuesday night. Tom Bogert of GiveMeSport was the first to report the news. Callender, 27, has been injured most of this season, started only three games and has been out since having sports hernia surgery in April. He got injured during a January U.S. national team camp and lost the starting job to 39-year-old Argentine Oscar Ustari, a friend of Lionel Messi's who stepped up and played well in Callender's absence. Ustari has been praised for his leadership skills on and off the field. Ustari missed a few recent games with a hamstring injury, and third-string keeper Rocco Rios Novo rose to the occasion, which apparently made Callender more expendable. Callender played a club-record 118 games for Inter Miami and was the only player left from the club's original 2020 roster. He gave up 183 goals and had 19 shutouts. The California native was co-captain of the team in 2023 and 2024, and kept Miami in many games with big saves. 'He speaks the international language, which is `He's a badass,'' said Henry Foulk, Callender's college goalkeeping coach at Cal Berkeley. 'These high-profile players are great, but they're aging, not as fast as they used to be, can't jump as high, and they know Drake can stop the ball and he's going to bail their ass out of some tough situations.' Foulk lauded Callender's style of play. 'The great keepers go from having strong, hard hands to having soft, shock-absorbing hands,' Foulk said. 'Some guys bang balls out with flair but give up a lot more rebounds. Drake goes all out to get the ball and right when he gets there, he takes a deep breath for a fraction of a second and is then able to absorb the velocity of the ball, bring it in, collect and catch it.' Despite his impressive resume in previous seasons, his injury struggles and Ustari's performance kept him out of Miami's plans. He will have to fight for a starting spot in Charlotte, as well, as that team has the reigning MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Kristijan Kahlina. Callender isn't the only Inter Miami player on his way out. According to multiple reports, Argentine midfielder Fede Redondo is headed to Spanish La Liga club Elche. Soccer journalist Cesar Luis Merlo reported that Redondo was sold for a $2.5 million transfer fee, which is half of what Miami reportedly paid for him last year. Redondo, 22, was a member of Argentina's U23 national team and is the son of former Real Madrid great Fernando Redondo. Despite his pedigree and high expectations, he had trouble keeping a starting job in a loaded midfield roster that includes Sergio Busquets, Yannick Bright, Benja Cremaschi, and the recently-signed Rodrigo De Paul, a star on Argentina's national team. Merlo also reported that Inter Miami is in advanced talks with Mexican team Cruz Azul to sign Argentine defender Gonzalo Piovi.
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Judge homers, Stanton goes 4 for 5 with a homer, as Yankees rout Twins 9-1
NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge hit his first homer in nearly three weeks, Giancarlo Stanton had his first four-hit game in nearly two years, and the New York Yankees routed the Minnesota Twins 9-1 on Tuesday night. Carlos Rodón (12-7) allowed one hit in seven innings. He allowed a leadoff single to Austin Martin and cruised after a 31-pitch first inning. He became the first Yankee to complete seven innings since the left-hander pitched eight against the Cubs on July 11. Stanton went 4 for 5 for his first four-hit game since Aug. 24, 2023 against Washington. He doubled in his first at-bat, homered in the fifth and singled in his final two at-bats before getting lifted for a pinch runner following a two-run single. Judge homered for the first time since July 23 when he hit a drive off Minnesota rookie starter Travis Adams (1-2). Anthony Volpe hit a tiebreaking three-run homer in the second as the Yankees beat the Twins for the ninth straight time. Stanton added a homer in the fifth to give the Yankees a 5-1 lead. It was the second time this season Stanton and Judge connected in the same game and 54th time overall, including the playoffs. The Yankees won their third series since the All-Star break and won the first two games of a series for the first time since sweeping Seattle July 8-10. Adams allowed four runs and four hits in 2 1/3 innings. Key Moment Rodón loaded the bases when he hit Ryan Jeffers and allowed a run on a ground ball by Royce Lewis in the first. He ended the inning by retiring Kody Clemens and permitted one runner the rest of the way. Key Stat Stanton has nine of his 14 career four-hit games with the Yankees. Up Next New York rookie RHP Cam Schlittler (1-2, 4.38 ERA) faces Minnesota RHP Joe Ryan (11-5, 2.79) on Wednesday. ___
