Messi and Alba set to join MLS All-Star Game — but will they show?
But after winning all but one match in its red-hot July, head coach Javier Mascherano is less than thrilled about the timing.
'The players are called up, I would like them to be able to rest, but that is not my decision,' Mascherano said earlier this week. 'I know how important the All-Star [Game] is.'
Whether Messi or Alba will actually take the field in Austin remains uncertain. Both were absent from the first team practice on Monday, and All-Star head coach Nicolas Estévez, who also leads Austin FC, offered little clarity.
'That's a question for his club. I simply coach and manage the players they give me,' Estévez told media. 'I hope he [Messi] does come, because having the greatest player in history here is very important for everyone.'
MLS rules state that any All-Star player who skips the game without a valid excuse faces a one-game suspension. That could sideline both Messi and Alba for Inter Miami's critical upcoming match against Eastern Conference leader FC Cincinnati on Saturday, July 26.
There are only two ways around the rule: an official injury report or a league-granted exemption. With no such injury statements yet issued by Inter Miami, both players remain in limbo.
That puts the club in a tight spot. On one hand, the game is a major marketing event for MLS, especially with Messi's name on top billing. On the other hand, Inter Miami is battling to stay competitive in the Eastern Conference and can hardly afford to lose two of their veteran leaders to a rules violation, or to a potential injury.
The All-Star Game appearance would be Messi's first since joining the league, and fans across the country are hoping to catch a glimpse of the Argentine legend on a national stage. But given the stakes for Inter Miami and the players' absences from practice, it's far from a guarantee.
As of Tuesday morning, neither Messi nor Alba had arrived in Austin, and the club has stayed quiet on the situation.
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