Is Messi playing today? Projected lineups for DC United vs. Inter Miami in MLS

This Saturday marks the start of Matchday 3 of the Major League Soccer season, with Inter Miami looking for another win to continue climbing the Eastern Conference standings. Their opponent will be DC United, who will host the match at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, where a full crowd is expected due to the excitement surrounding Lionel Messi.

The Argentine forward played in the first two games of the season: a loss to Los Angeles FC in the opener and a victory last Sunday against Orlando City SC, where he scored a brace. Now Inter Miami have the chance to secure another win and reinforce their status as favorites to repeat as 2025 champions.

DC United have had an identical start to the season. They opened at home with a 1-0 win over Philadelphia Union, but could not repeat that performance in their second match, falling by the same scoreline to Austin FC last Sunday. They now face the challenge of containing one of the most talented teams in MLS.

Projected lineup for Inter Miami

The performance shown by Inter Miami in their second game of the season was noticeably better than in their opener against Los Angeles FC. For that reason, head coach Javier Mascherano is likely to stick with the same starting lineup.

Inter Miami’s projected XI against DC United is: Dayne St. Clair; Facundo Mura, Maximiliano Falcon, Micael Silva, Noah Allen; Rodrigo De Paul, Yannick Bright, Telasco Segovia, Tadeo Allende; Lionel Messi, German Berterame.

Projected lineup for DC United

Unlike most matches this season, DC United are expected to focus primarily on limiting their opponent’s strengths. Head coach Rene Weiler made that clear when asked how to stop Messi. “The key is not giving him space and defending well as a team,” he said.

With that in mind, DC United’s projected lineup to face Inter Miami is: Sean Johnson; Silvan Hefti, Lucas Bartlett, Kye Rowles, Keisuke Kuroka; Jared Stroud, Matti Peltola, Brandon Servania, Hosel Jihima; Joao Peglow, Tai Baribo.