Worries continue to grow for Inter Miami as Lionel Messi misses yet another game. Not in the squad for their Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal first-leg match against Monterrey at home on Wednesday, the scoring load will fall to Luis Suarez. It has been almost a month since Messi has played soccer after being withdrawn in the 50th minute for the Herons on March 13 against Nashville SC. Missing this game when Inter Miami need him most shows just how extensive Messi's hamstring injury is. This cup is far and away the biggest prize they are in contention for on the season and with it comes a spot in the Club World Cup.
While Messi did return to training ahead of the match, it wasn't enough for him to be ready for this critical match. As concerns about the 36-year-old's availability continue to rise after he was also unavailable for six of the final 10 games of the season for Inter Miami to close out the 2022-23 season, missing one of the most important matches in club history won't do anything to alleviate that.
With the Copa America this summer and the second leg in Mexico coming up in a week's time, how this next week goes for Messi will be critical to watch as Miami will need to shuffle their priorities if they are eliminated well short of their goal.
