Gerardo Martino breaks silence on whether Lionel Messi will play for Inter Miami in final against Houston Dynamo
Inter Miami manager Gerardo Martino is coy about his star attacker Lionel Messi's participation in the US Open Cup final against Houston Dynamo on Wednesday, September 27.
The Herons were without Messi in their MLS outing on Sunday, drawing 1-1 at Orlando City to keep their playoff hopes alive. After a goalless first half, David Ruiz opened the scoring for Martino's side in the 52nd minute before Duncan McGuire responded 14 minutes later for Orlando.
With the draw, Miami now have 32 points from 29 games, trailing ninth-placed New York City in the last playoff place by five points but with two games in hand. It was a commendable result without their famed trio of Messi, Jordi Alba, and Sergio Busquets, who missed the game due to injury.
Messi was substituted in the 4-0 home win over Toronto on Thursday due to a muscular issue and remains day-to-day. Martino shared the status of the Argentine in his press conference following the draw at Orlando (as per GOAL):
“It’s very difficult to give him a percentage because we have to take it day by day. We’ll continue to evaluate him and, as I always say, I will listen to him first and see how he’s feeling."
"Then we’ll also need to evaluate future risks. It’s not an easy decision, but we’re going to take the right amount of time to try to not make a mistake,” he added.
Since returning from international duty with Argentina in FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifying, Messi has had only 37 minutes of action. He missed the league games against Atlanta United and Orlando City.
How have Lionel Messi's Inter Miami fared in the 2023 US Open Cup?
Lionel Messi's Inter Miami began their campaign in the US Open Cup in the third round, where they won on penalties at Miami FC on April 26. Two weeks later, they beat Charleston at home by a solitary goal.
On May 23, Inter Miami beat Nashville 2-1 at home to reach the quarterfinals, where they won by a solitary goal at Legion FC on June 7. By the time their semifinal against Cincinnati on August 22 came, Messi had made his debut for the club.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup winner starred with a couple of assists as Miami forced the game into extra time after being two goals down. With both teams scoring in extra time, a shootout ensued, which the Herons won 5-4, with Lionel Messi netting Miami's first effort.
Following their Leagues Cup success last month, Inter Miami are hoping to win their second-ever trophy this week.