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Fans of soccer had to wait exactly two months to see Lionel Messiback on the field. This comes after he suffered a high-grade right ankle sprain in the 2024 Copa América final, which Argentina won 1-0 against Colombia.
Due to his participation in the Copa América and his injury, it will be three months and 14 days since Lionel last wore the pink of Inter Miami. His coach, Gerardo "Tata" Martino, spoke at a press conference on today and confirmed that Messi will be available this Saturday, September 14, against the Philadelphia Union.
"Yesterday he returned to training. He is contemplated for tomorrow's game and after training, we will define the strategy for him, but he is available. We are going to once again have the best player in the world within the team, so we are all happy about that situation," Martino said.
There were doubts about whether Messi would be active against Philadelphia this week after it was reported that he was suffering from a sore throat.
"Yes [there was concern], because it came together a bit with everything-the recovery of the ankle and just that throat condition he had, which prevented him from training," Martino said.
How has Inter Miami fared without Messi?
Messi's last matchwith Inter Miami was on June 1 against St. Louis SC in a 3-3 draw, where the #10 scored the first goal. Since then, he has missed 13 matches with Inter Miami, including MLS and Leagues Cup fixtures.
In the tournament where teams from Liga MX and MLS face off, Inter Miami felt Messi's absence. They qualified second behind Tigres and were eliminated in the Round of 16 by Columbus Crew.
Inter Miami didn't suffer too much during the month and a half without their star, as they secured 10 wins in 13 matches. The only major setback was a 6-1 loss to FC Cincinnati on July 6.
Current Status of Inter Miami as "La Pulga" Returns
Currently, Inter Miami leads the Eastern Conference and the ers' Shield with 59 points from 27 matches. With their latest victory over Chicago Fire by a score of 4-1, where Leo's best friend, Luis Suárez, scored twice, Miami secured their spot in the MLS 2024 playoffs. A goal they failed to achieve last season.
The record for most points in a single season is held by New England Revolution, with 73 points in 2021. This is a mark that seems attainable for Tata Martino's team.