Messi Returns to Inter Miami to Face Atlanta United
The Argentinian star Lionel Messi joins Inter Miami to play against Atlanta United this Saturday at Chase Stadium, after a brief pause in his international commitments with the Argentinian national team. Messi, called up by Argentine coach Lionel Scaloni for the October friendlies against Venezuela and Puerto Rico, will play in the penultimate match of the MLS regular season with Inter Miami. The captain did not participate in Argentina’s first match of the October window, where they defeated Venezuela 1-0 at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. Scaloni explained that the decision to leave Messi out of the team was his.Previously, Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano had expressed his desire to have Messi for Saturday’s match, although he didn’t know if it would be possible. Inter Miami has already secured its place in the MLS playoffs in 2025 and seeks to improve its position in the Eastern Conference to gain home advantage in the postseason. Currently, the team is in third place with 59 points in 32 matches. Regarding Messi’s participation in the friendly match against Puerto Rico on October 14, Scaloni was optimistic.I decided that Leo Messi wouldn’t play. We wanted to try Lautaro Martínez and Julián Álvarez, and we had José Manuel López on the bench. I thought it was a valid option. In the end, Flaco López couldn’t enter the game, so he will enter in the next one. But it was my decision, simply that.
Lionel Scaloni
The Argentina vs. Puerto Rico match on Tuesday will be played at Chase Stadium, after being moved from Chicago this week. Messi shares the top scorer lead in MLS with Denis Bouanga of LAFC, both with 24 goals. The last two games of the season are crucial in the fight for the Golden Boot 2025.Let’s hope Messi can be there on Tuesday, we’ll see how things develop in the coming days.
Lionel Scaloni
