Inter Miami head coach Gerardo Martino confirmed Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez will be available against Atlanta United on Wednesday night at Chase Stadium, after the duo was rested for the clash vs. the Vancouver Whitecaps.
“Yes, Messi will be in the game tomorrow,” Martino said, before warning against looking ahead to Saturday’s confrontation with St. Louis.
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“Then we will see after how he feels for Saturday. The idea is that he be present for both games, but first we have to play tomorrow’s game to think about Saturday.”
The two upcoming games stand as the last before Messi departs the club to join the Argentinian national team for Copa América preparations. The international tournament kicks off on June 20, but Argentina will participate in two friendlies on June 9 and June 14.
“No, we haven’t discussed when Messi will leave with the Argentinian federation, but there is no need. They start the concentration between Sunday and Monday, so Leo will play the game on Saturday with us and then depart with AFA. The good thing is the team decided to set up a base in Miami and the friendlies are on the East coast so he doesn’t have to travel much,” Martino said.
Suárez may be the next player to depart the Herons for his national team. Though Martino confirmed there has been no official contact with the Uruguayan federation yet, he teased news regarding the matter would come this week.
“We have great chances of losing Luis Suárez to Uruguay for the Copa América,” he said Saturday. “There is no contact yet from the Uruguayan federation. We know he’s on a general list, and we’re sure this week there will be news on that front.”
Midfielder Federico Redondo also added he expects several absences during the Copa América and Olympics windows.
“We know we will have many absences like Leo Messi, Matías Rojas, Diego Gómez and Luis Suárez.”
The Herons will look to play five matches during the international window, including games against the Philadelphia Union, Columbus Crew, Nashville SC, Charlotte FC and FC Cincinnati.
Inter Miami currently leads the Eastern Conference table with 34 points in 16 games.
Also on Monday, St. Louis City SC announced the signing German midfielder Cedric Teuchert to a two-year contract. Teuchert, 27, arrives from German second-division club Hannover 96 and is under contract through June 2026 with an option for the remainder of that MLS season.
