Inter Miami may miss the service of Lionel Messi in five straight games as the Argentine superstar is set to represent his country in the upcoming Copa America. With Messi leading from the front, Inter Miami has been in scintillating form this season.
The Herons currently occupy the top spot in the Major League Soccer (MLS) Eastern Conference, having notched nine victories in 15 matches. Messi has started in the majority of those games. He has already struck 12 goals in as many appearances across all competitions this season.
Despite Lionel Messi’s undeniable impact on their performance, head coach Tata Martino believes the other players of his team are capable enough to cope with the absence of the World Cup-winning forward.
Messi failed to make any contribution in Inter Miami’s last league game against DC United. The match remained goalless till the 94th minute when Leonardo Campana came up with the winning strike for the Miami-based side to secure a last-gasp victory.
Keeping aside the narrow margin, Tata Martino took it as a positive sign in terms of winning a game without any goal contribution from Messi.
When asked about his plans for the Copa America period, Martino said, “If these players find themselves in form, with confidence, secure, and understand the challenges of the five games after St. Louis, it’s clear that we’ll be able to survive Copa America.”
Before heading off on national duty, Lionel Messi is expected to feature in three more MLS fixtures. Inter Miami will take on Vancouver Whitecaps in an away game next week before hosting Atlanta United and St Louis City SC respectively in the following assignments.
When Messi will be playing his trade in the Copa America, Inter Miami are slated to play against the Philadelphia Union, Columbus Crew, Nashville SC, Charlotte FC and FC Cincinnati.
Argentina are going into the Copa America as the reigning champions. Ahead of the multi-nation event, the South American giants are set to play a couple of friendly matches against Ecuador and Guatemala. Messi is likely to feature in both games.
Argentine will begin their Copa America title defence with a match against Canada on June 21. In the other group-league fixtures, the defending World champions will face Peru and Chile.
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