Is Lionel Messi playing today? Projected lineups for Inter Miami vs Columbus Crew in Matchday 28 of 2026 MLS season

Inter Miami travel to face Columbus Crew with Lionel Messi in the lineup, even as the club deals with a wave of absences tied to the September international window. Messi and Rodrigo De Paul will remain available for club duty until October 6, when they depart to represent Argentina in the World Cup champion’s farewell match against Benin.

Inter Miami will be missing seven players called up by their countries, including German Berterame with Mexico, Dayne St. Clair with Canada and Matias Galarza with Paraguay, but the core of Cristian Gonzalez’s side remains intact for this Eastern Conference clash.

The Herons sit third in the conference with 46 points off a 12-4-10 record, coming off a 2-2 draw with San Diego FC in which Messi and Luis Suarez both scored before Anders Dreyer’s brace canceled it out.

Columbus enter the match in must-win territory, sitting 13th in the East and seven points back of the final playoff spot with only eight games left to play. The Crew arrive in good form, having won 2-0 at CF Montreal on Matchday 27 behind second-half goals from Mohamed Farsi and Brais Mendez.

Projected lineup for Columbus Crew

Laurent Courtois enters this one missing a center-back and a forward option, with Steven Moreira and Gonzalo Tapia both suspended and Wessam Abou Ali sidelined by a knee injury.

Columbus Crew projected lineup: Patrick Schulte; Malte Amundsen, Sean Zawadzki, Brooks Lennon, Cesar Ruvalcaba; Santiago Rodriguez, Andre Gomes, Taha Habroune, Mohamed Farsi; Brais Mendez, Josef Martinez.

Projected lineup for Inter Miami

Kily Gonzalez has a much longer absence list to manage, with Mateo Silvetti, Tadeo Allende, Ian Fray, and Telasco Segovia out through injury on top of the seven players away on international duty.

Inter Miami projected lineup: Rocco Rios Novo; Facundo Mura, Casemiro, Maximiliano Falcon, Sergio Reguilon; Rodrigo De Paul, Yannick Bright, David Ayala, Santiago Morales; Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi.