Inter Miami was 5-14-3 before Messi arrived last month.
In a development that couldn’t make New York-area soccer fans happy — especially those who plunked down exorbitant sums to see the international superstar play — Messi was not in the starting XI and his status for the game remained questionable for Inter Miami in its ballyhooed road match Saturday night against the Red Bulls in Harrison, N.J.
That match represented Miami’s eighth straight victory in tournament and cup play, including a Leagues Cup trophy. with the wondrous Argentinian forward posting 10 goals with three assists, including two setups while playing the entire match in Cincinnati. That workload caused manager Tata Martino to suggest that night, and again on Friday that the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner as the best player in the world might be rested altogether on Saturday night as MLS play resumed.Fellow import Sergio Busquets also was held out of the starting lineup.
Inter Miami was 5-14-3 before Messi arrived last month — in last place in the Eastern Conference and 14 points out of the ninth and final playoff position with a dozen games to play. With seven games in 23 days, including three that were decided in PKs, Martino had said Wednesday night that Messi and other players “are reaching a physical limit” that might necessitate what is known in the NBA as load management.Lionel Messi has dominated for Miami.
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