MLS
Messi to make Inter Miami debut next month
Lionel Messi is set to play his first game for Inter Miami on July 21 when the Major League Soccer side host Mexico’s Cruz Azul in their Leagues Cup opener, managing owner Jorge Mas told the Miami Herald newspaper on Tuesday.
Messi and Miami have agreed terms on a deal and are finalising paperwork and visas after the Argentine great’s announcement this month of his intention to join the club.
The 35-year-old will sign a two-and-a-half year deal worth $50 million to $60 million per year with an option to extend until 2026, according to the Miami Herald.
“Absolutely no changes in the roster rules. There are no categories or anything that is being changed to incorporate Lionel Messi onto Inter Miami’s roster,” Mas added.
Having the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner on board promises to be a big boost for soccer in the United States, where its popularity trails the other four major North American men’s professional leagues.
Mas defined Messi’s arrival as “the seminal moment” in the history of U.S. soccer as MLS aspires to be one of the best leagues in the world.
“I think there will always be a before and after Messi when we talk about the sport in the United States,” Mas said.
“I have very strong-held belief that we can create in North America and the United States if not the greatest league, one of the top two leagues in the world.
“Lionel Messi is coming to this country to win cups and make a difference. I think it’s incumbent upon myself and my partners in the league, the other owners, to seize the moment.”
News of Messi joining Miami had its first effects in a matter of hours, sending ticket prices soaring 1,034% and increasing the number of followers on the team’s Instagram account from one to eight million.
Miami are currently bottom of the Eastern Conference standings – seven points from ninth place, the final spot which would give them a chance of qualifying for the playoffs.
The Leagues Cup is an annual competition between MLS and Mexico’s Liga MX clubs.
-Reuters
Inter Miami will be the last club Luis Suarez plays for, the Uruguay striker said on Thursday.
Suarez, 37, signed a contract with the Major League Soccer side last year for the 2024 season after a stint with Brazilian club Gremio.
He reunited with former Barcelona team mates Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, with whom he won four LaLiga titles in five years in Spain.
“Inter Miami will be my last club, my family already know that. I don’t have a date yet, but it’s the last step,” Suarez said in an interview with Uruguayan radio station Del Sol.
“I’m ready for this last challenge, but there is an inevitable fatigue and, in the end, I want to have quality of life in the future,” he added.
Suarez, who also played for clubs including Ajax Amsterdam, Liverpool and Atletico Madrid, has won 138 caps for Uruguay since 2007.
Inter Miami kick off their MLS campaign against Real Salt Lake on Feb. 21.
-Reuters
The Houston Dynamo defeated Inter Miami 2-1 to win the U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday with an injured Lionel Messi watching from the stands at DRV PNK Stadium.
Without Messi and his former Barcelona team-mate Jordi Alba, Miami struggled to compete with an enterprising Houston and went in 2-0 down at the break.
Houston grabbed the lead in the 24th minute with a perfect counter-attack ending with Brazilian Artur feeding the overlapping Griffin Dorsey who blasted in at the near post.
French forward Amine Bassi doubled the lead from the penalty spot nine minutes later after DeAndre Yedlin had brought down Nelson Quinones.
Houston thought that they had scored a third after the break but Quinones’ effort was ruled out for offside after a VAR review.
Substitute Josef Martinez gave Miami some late hope with a left-foot strike in stoppage time after latching on to a ball from Argentine Facundo Farias.
But despite some late pressure, it was too little, too late from Miami and Houston deservedly won their second U.S. Open Cup to add to their triumph in 2018.
Miami had won the Leagues Cup last month with Messi prominently involved but they must now battle to make the Major League Soccer play-offs with uncertainty over their Argentine star’s fitness.
-AFP
Inter Miami will wait until the “last moment” to see if Lionel Messi is fit to play in Wednesday’s U.S. Open Cup final against Houston Dynamo, coach Gerardo Martino said.
Messi was substituted in Inter’s league match against Toronto FC before halftime with an unspecified injury, and missed Sunday’s clash against rivals Orlando City.
The Argentina captain is a doubt for the U.S. Open Cup final when his team will aim to claim their second title after winning the Leagues Cup last month.
“We are going to wait for Leo until tomorrow, until the last moment,” Martino told a news conference on Tuesday. “I’m going to sit down with him, see what his feelings are (…) We’ll probably come to an agreement tomorrow.
“There are three issues here: there is the player, then the final, and then what comes next. We have to try to make the decision, there are always risks, but we have to reduce them.”
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner has scored 11 goals and provided five assists in 12 games for Inter Miami since his arrival from Paris St Germain in July.
The Miami side are yet to lose with Messi on the pitch and Martino said he would not consider playing the 36-year-old if it were not a cup final.
“It’s 90 or 120 minutes that stand between you and a title,” said the Argentine boss. “It’s logical. If it was any other kind of game we wouldn’t take any risks.”
-Reuters
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