Inter Miami are set to face Austin FC this Saturday in the opening of the Nu Stadium at Miami Freedom Park, for Matchday 6 of Major League Soccer. Lionel Messi’s availability was addressed by coach Javier Mascherano.
The Argentine forward did not join Thursday’s training session with his teammates, raising concerns about his participation in Saturday’s game. However, the coach offered a reassuring explanation.
“We had it already planned that way,” Mascherano began during the press conference, shared by reporter Jose Armando on X. “Leo is fine. We’re simply taking the usual care with him, as we do with everyone.”
Mascherano then explained that the differentiated exercises Messi completed during training, alongside Noah Allen and Alex Shaw, were due to their recent game load during the March FIFA break: “They are the three players who played on Tuesday and had the most minutes. Less than 48 hours have passed since they finished playing; we just wanted them to move a little in a regenerative way.”
Lionel Messi of Argentina greets Thiago Almada during the international friendly match against Zambia on Tuesday.
Inter Miami receive good news
The situation with Messi, as well as Allen and Shaw, does not raise any concerns for Inter Miami ahead of upcoming matches. Additionally, the other players who represented their national teams during the FIFA break in recent days are also in perfect condition.
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“The rest of the players who played had fewer minutes. Or, like in the case of Telasco (Segovia), they played on Monday,” Javier Mascherano explained in the same press conference. “All of them are in good condition.”
With that in mind, the Herons have positive prospects ahead of Saturday’s clash against Austin FC. According to reporter Jose Armando, two of the players who had recent physical issues—Maximiliano Falcon and Sergio Reguilon—participated in Thursday’s session alongside the rest of the squad. The only player missing full training was Facundo Mura, who completed differentiated exercises.
Falcon has been out of action since March 11, when he was substituted in the opening minutes of the first leg against Nashville SC in the Concacaf Champions Cup. Reguilon, meanwhile, had to leave in the first half of the second leg on March 18 and had not played since.
