Will Messi be in the first MLS game? This is what coach Martino said about him

The start of the 2024 Major League Soccer season is getting closer and closer. The tournament will kick off next Wednesday, February 21 at DRV PNK Stadium, where Inter Miami will face Real Salt Lake. The fact that The Herons will star in the first game of the season is not a coincidence, but it shows that the main attraction of the league is Lionel Messi, as fans in America and around the world are eager to see him back on the field.

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However, he has struggled of late. After missing several crucial MLS and US Open Cup games last season due to a muscle injury, Leo took an extended vacation before starting preseason with the squad in January. He then traveled with the team on a tour of friendly matches in five different countries. But in Saudi Arabia he suffered a discomfort in the same place where he was injured last year, so he was unable to play some of those matches.

This Thursday, back in Miami, The Herons played a friendly against Newell's Old Boys of Argentina and Messi was on the field. He was part of the starting lineup and showed all his talent with some excellent plays, although he was unable to score goals or provide assists. During the second half Gerardo Martino decided to replace him with Lawson Sunderland.

And after the match, the coach gave a press conference in which he talked about the Argentine forward's physical condition: "I see him fully recovered. Yes, we are bringing him back little by little. In Tokyo he played 30 minutes, tonight he played almost 60. The idea is that he arrives well prepared for the 21st. From what we saw today in the field and the way he accelerated, he got into the box".

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This year will be very demanding

In his first semester with Inter Miami, Lionel Messi arrived with the Major League Soccer season already started and with the team in a complicated situation in the standings. That is why the Leagues Cup title was enough to consider the team's performance a success. But this year things will be very different. This time the Herons will have their stars from the start of the season and will have to compete at the highest level in MLS and the CONCACAF Champions League.