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Inter Miami will be without Argentina World Cup finalists Lionel Messi and Rodrigo De Paul for the team’s Wednesday night home match against the Chicago Fire as MLS action resumes.
The tournament’s Silver Ball and Silver Boot winner and the defensive midfield veteran have been granted a slight vacation after falling short of winning a second World Cup title with La Albiceleste on Sunday. According to ESPN, the two are taking advantage of the 21-day rest period as negotiated by FIFAPro, an option not all MLS players who were at the World Cup have taken.
Unlike the top five European leagues, which were the most represented at this summer’s showpiece event, MLS’s regular-season demands have seen other players from the tournament return before the 21-day mark. The 44 other representatives, though, were eliminated before Messi and De Paul.
“The World Cup concluded only a matter of hours ago,” said manager Guillermo Hoyos. “Their priority now is to rest and spend time with their loved ones back home ... They will be absent for however long it takes.”
In addition to missing the two key Argentines, Miami will be without the injured Tadeo Allende, David Ayala, Maxi Falcón and Gonzalo Luján. Young players Santiago Morales and Alexander Shaw are also out on international duty with the U-20 U.S. men’s national team at the Concacaf Championship.
Miami Take on Lewandowski’s Debut
Once rumored to join the Herons, famed striker Robert Lewandowski is set to take on Miami in his MLS debut with Chicago. The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich star was supposed to debut last week against ex-teammate Thomas Müller and Vancouver Whitecaps, before smoke and hazy conditions in Chicago forced the match to be rescheduled.
While Lewandowski is unlikely to start, an appearance off the bench will make him the latest star to take on MLS and also usher in a new era for the Fire after the club sold 29-year-old MLS Golden Boot leader Hugo Cuypers to CF Monterrey to open up a starting role for the Polish star.
“One thing I can tell you about Robert is that he has a tremendous work rate,” said manager Gregg Berhalter. “When you think about a guy coming into the team, who was jet-lagged all last week and he’s pushing the guys in training, we are doing fitness stuff, he's pushing that and doing extra work after.
“If you look at our team right now, it’s the same except for Robert switching out for Hugo. And we've done fine up until then. You would think, based on that equation, we would be better.”
After Wednesday’s game, both teams will play again on Saturday, leading into next week’s MLS All-Star Game in Charlotte, a showcase that saw Cuypers, Messi and De Paul named to the MLS squad, but all appear unlikely to go.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why Lionel Messi Isn’t Playing for Inter Miami vs. Chicago Fire.
