Inter Miami hosted Philadelphia Union on Sunday at Nu Stadium in what was the club’s final MLS appearance before players break away for World Cup training camps. The occasion was overshadowed when Lionel Messi was forced off the field with a muscle injury.
The match got off to a nightmare start for the hosts, with Milan Iloski netting a brace inside the opening ten minutes. Messi responded by setting up German Berterame to cut the deficit in the 13th minute, before Bruno Damiani added a third for the Union after Dayne St. Clair was unable to hold a shot in the 20th, though Inter Miami continued to battle back.
Ian Fray delivered a pinpoint cross for Luis Suarez to reduce it to 2-3 with an acrobatic finish in the 29th, and Messi then turned a loose ball into another assist for Berterame to level in the 41st. Suarez completed his brace from a rebound off a Rodrigo De Paul effort in the 44th, only for Iloski to restore Philadelphia’s lead from the penalty spot in first-half stoppage time to complete a stunning hat-trick.
After an extraordinary 4-4 first half, Inter Miami pushed for a winner but could not convert their chances, before the afternoon took a worrying turn. Messi grabbed at his left hamstring in the 73rd minute and signaled to the bench, leaving the field in visible discomfort to be replaced by Mateo Silvetti.
Upon leaving the pitch, Messi headed straight down the Nu Stadium tunnel toward the locker room, escorted by a member of Inter Miami’s staff. The scene left little room for optimism, as the Argentine captain kept his head down, looking at the ground; even though he didn’t appear to be severely limping, the No. 10’s body language was far from promising.
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Massive setback for an otherwise durable Lionel Messi
Aside from a March 14th clash against Charlotte FC where he was rested entirely, Messi has been a fixture in Inter Miami’s lineup throughout the 2026 campaign, logging the full 90 minutes in each of his previous appearances (13 in MLS play and two in the CONCACAF Champions Cup). In fact, the only time he saw limited action across the first five months of the calendar year was during Argentina‘s friendly against Mauritania in March, when he was brought on as a halftime substitute to play the final 45 minutes.
Sunday’s tilt against Philadelphia marks the first time all season that Messi has been unable to finish a match for Inter Miami—and more concerningly, it was triggered by a muscular ailment rather than a tactical substitution. The Argentine legend concludes a spectacular month of May with four goals and six assists across five MLS fixtures, but all eyes now pivot to his medical evaluation and how this sudden injury could impact his World Cup preparations.
