On Wednesday, Inter Miami’s head coach Javier Mascherano confirmed that Argentine legendary footballer Lionel Messi will travel to Jamaica with Inter Miami hours before their Concacaf Champions Cup round-of-16 second-leg match against Cavalier FC on Thursday.
This comes after uncertainty surrounding his availability, as the 37-year-old missed Miami’s last three matches due to what head coach Javier Mascherano described as “load management.”
Messi was absent for the first-leg encounter against Cavalier, which Miami won 2-0, as well as the recent MLS clash against Charlotte FC. However, he has been training in recent days, including a session on Wednesday morning, raising hopes that he could start in the upcoming fixture.
Mascherano confirmed that Messi is on the roster and will be traveling with the squad to Kingston. However, the decision on whether he will start or come off the bench will be made closer to kickoff. “Leo trained with the team today, and the sensations were good,” Mascherano told reporters. “We’re happy he’ll travel with us to Jamaica.”
Inter Miami will arrive in Kingston on Wednesday, following Concacaf’s requirement for teams to be in the host country at least 24 hours before the match. With a 2-0 aggregate lead, Miami is in a strong position, but Messi’s potential return could provide an extra boost as they aim to secure their spot in the next round.
Kickoff time for the match is 8 pm ET/5 pm PT, inside Independence Park in Kingston/St. Andrew.
