Lionel Messi not in Inter Miami starting lineup against Red Bulls

Soccer

By Peter Botte

August 26, 2023 | 7:24pm

And in the ninth match, Lionel Messi rested.

In a development that couldn’t make New York-area soccer fans happy — especially those who plunked down exorbitant sums to see the international superstar play — Messi was not in the starting XI and his status for the game remained questionable for Inter Miami in its ballyhooed road match Saturday night against the Red Bulls in Harrison, N.J.

In what was hyped as the 36-year-old Messi’s MLS regular-season debut and first appearance in the tri-state area since transferring to David Beckham’s club from Paris Saint-Germain in July, he opened the game on the bench after logging 120 minutes in Wednesday’s victory over Cincinnati FC in the US Open Cup semifinals.

That match represented Miami’s eighth straight victory in tournament and cup play, including a Leagues Cup trophy. with the wondrous Argentinian forward posting 10 goals with three assists, including two setups while playing the entire match in Cincinnati.

That workload caused manager Tata Martino to suggest that night, and again on Friday that the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner as the best player in the world might be rested altogether on Saturday night as MLS play resumed.

Fellow import Sergio Busquets also was held out of the starting lineup.

Inter Miami was 5-14-3 before Messi arrived last month — in last place in the Eastern Conference and 14 points out of the ninth and final playoff position with a dozen games to play.

With seven games in 23 days, including three that were decided in PKs, Martino had said Wednesday night that Messi and other players “are reaching a physical limit” that might necessitate what is known in the NBA as load management.

Martino also insisted he wouldn’t be swayed by public or league pressure in his decision.

“I understand the expectations the rest of the world has to watch him, that is undeniable,” Martino told reporters Friday at the team hotel in New York. “But I cannot act based on that because if I do I would risk doing things wrong.

“The only thing I am concerned about is if he is able to play. Throughout his career, he has always wanted to play every game and sometimes you have to convince him to stop so he can recover, but I don’t pay attention to external pressures when it comes to deciding if he should play or not.”

The former Barcelona and Mexican national coach noted that Messi also will miss games to play internationally with Argentina, the 2022 World Cup champions, next month.

Inter Miami is slated to vie for another trophy in the US Open Cup finals against the Houston Dynamo on Sept. 27.

“I understand we have a big load with the restart of the league schedule coming off all the cup games we played, reaching the Leagues Cup final and playing the U.S. Open Cup semifinal,” Martino said.

“And we have to take that seriously, but we have had a lot to handle the past month and a half, and we must see how the players feel.

“Some ended the Cincinnati game with minor injuries, and were tired, so that will factor in my decision on Saturday’s roster.”

Saturday’s match was to be streamed on Apple-+ TV and even was planned to be shown on a large screen in Times Square.

Tickets had been selling on the secondary market for hundreds and in some cases thousands of dollars.

“It is inevitable that we will not have him at some point, Martino said. “This will happen at least three times this year, and next year more.

“We will have to find a solution.”