North American League Cup: Messi s injury is worrying, and he misses the key battle

Messi's injury is worrying, and he missed a key game

Due to a muscle injury, Messi failed to play in the quarterfinals of the League Cup against Tigrace (also translated as Tigers) on the morning of August 21.

At present, Messi's physical condition is still not at its best. As early as the group stage of the League Cup against Necasa on August 2, Messi left the court early due to injury in the 11th minute of the game. Since then, he has missed games against the Cougars and Orlando City.

Although Messi has made a substitute in the MLS match against Los Angeles Galaxy on August 17, contributing one goal and one assist to help Miami International win 3-1, coach Mascherano admitted after the game that Messi still felt uncomfortable on the court and needs to be observed continuously.

Mascherano said before the game: "Messi did not practice with the whole team, he is still training alone. This is consistent with what I said before after playing against the Los Angeles Galaxy - Messi played for 45 minutes in that game, but he felt uncomfortable." On the day of the game, although Messi arrived at Chase Stadium in Arizona with the team, he was wearing casual clothes and finally could only watch the game in the stands. As the core of the League Cup and the team leader last season, Messi's absence undoubtedly brought considerable challenges to defending champion Miami International.

Due to the intensive schedule recently and the key every game, the club and coaching staff are unwilling to take the risk of Messi playing with injuries. Currently, Miami International is fiercely competing with many teams for the top spot in the APF Eastern Conference standings, and is also striving to defend the League Cup.

It is worth noting that since joining Miami International in 2023, Messi has missed the game due to muscle injuries many times. The injury this time has also made fans more concerned about his physical condition.