26 August 2023 , 05:30
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Inter Miami head coach Gerardo "Tata" Martino acknowledged on Friday that it was "inevitable" he would bench Lionel Messi at least a few times this season. One of those scheduled rest days could come this weekend, when the club takes on the New York Red Bulls.
"We will assess further after this evening's training," Martino said. "It is inevitable that we will not have him at some point."
He added: "I understand the expectations the rest of the world has to watch him, and that is undeniable But I cannot act based on that, because then I would risk doing things wrong."
Messi played all 120 minutes in Wednesday night's U.S. Open Cup semi-final victory over FC Cincinnati. He also went the distance during last Saturday night's Leagues Cup final shootout win over Nashville SC. The 36-year-old must balance the desire to win a treble with the need to avoid injuries.
The problem for Martino is that Inter Miami have little wiggle room in MLS. Bottom of the Eastern Conference, they will fall out of playoff contention with even the briefest of slumps. Their upcoming match against the Red Bulls is crucial because New York are one of the teams they must pass in the table to reach ninth place - the final spot that qualifies a club for postseason consideration.
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Right now, Inter Miami are 14 points below ninth, though they have played fewer matches than all of the teams above them.
Martino has been pestered with questions about his approach to Messi all week, and the calls to give the World Cup winner a break intensified after his extended outing against Cincinnati. The forward assisted twice and converted his shootout attempt to lead a comeback victory. Afterward, though, he appeared exhausted.
Tickets for Miami's MLS game against Red Bulls are selling for upwards of £300 — and Lionel Messi might not even start (Getty Images for USSF)"This will happen (giving Messi rest) at least three times this year, and next year more," Martino told reporters. "We will have to find a solution."
Fans of other clubs hoping to catch a glimpse of one of football's greatest-ever players will be disappointed to hear that news. Every game Messi has played thus far has sold out, and tickets on the secondary market have fetched prices exponentially higher than face value. Inter Miami have also expanded their home capacity to accommodate supporter interest.
Barring a playoff matchup with the Red Bulls or NYCFC, this weekend's game will be Messi's only opportunity to play in bustling New York in 2023. Other key big-city dates include Inter Miami's trip to Los Angeles to face LAFC on September 4 and an away fixture in Atlanta at Mercedez-Benz Stadium on September 16.
Each host must determine precisely how much they want to lean into Messi mania when marketing tickets, a task made more difficult by the uncertainty about his rest schedule.
"I know what I would do if I were a coach or a general manager," MLS commissioner Don Garber told ESPN. "If I was the president of a club, and I heard [Union coach] Jim Curtin say this in Philadelphia, [I'd say]: 'Come here and support your team.'
"Yeah, it will be nice to see somebody else wearing that pink jersey, and that might be a special moment, but that was an opportunity for the Philadelphia Union to be on their way to winning another trophy. The league isn't going to mandate those kinds of things. It's really up to our teams."