Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez out for MLS All-Star Game
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Argentina forward Lionel Messi, who joined Inter Miami in July 2023, will miss his first MLS All-Star appearance with an ankle injury.
PHOTO: REUTERS
MIAMI – Argentina star Lionel Messi and Inter Miami teammate Luis Suarez will miss the Major League Soccer (MLS) All-Star Game on July 24 with injuries, the league and team both announced on July 22.
An updated MLS roster for the match-up against Mexico’s Liga MX All-Stars at Columbus, Ohio listed Messi and Uruguayan striker Suarez among those who would not play.
Miami detailed the injuries, with Messi still sidelined after missing two MLS matches last week with a right ankle injury suffered in Argentina’s Copa America final triumph over Colombia.
“Messi will miss the All-Star Game due to an ankle injury while Luis Suarez, who recently returned from international duty after over 40 days away from the club, will miss the All-Star Game due to knee discomfort,” the club said.
It would have been the first MLS All-Star appearance for the 37-year-old Messi, who joined Miami in July 2023 from French side Paris Saint-Germain.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, who helped spark Argentina to the 2022 World Cup title, led his new team to last season’s inaugural Leagues Cup crown in a tournament of MLS and Mexican league squads.
Miami also said Messi’s status and that of Suarez remain in doubt for the home match against Mexico’s Puebla on July 27, which is their first step in defending the Leagues Cup title.
The availability of the star duo will be determined by their “daily recovery process”, according to the team statement.
In other news, the Mexican men’s national football team, looking for a new direction after a disappointing performance at the Copa, hired Javier Aguirre as head coach and Rafael Marquez as assistant coach on July 22.
The appointments include a built-in succession plan.
Aguirre will be in charge through the 2026 World Cup, to be hosted jointly by Mexico, the United States and Canada. Marquez will then take over for the cycle leading to the 2030 World Cup.
Aguirre, a 65-year-old Mexico City native, is back for his third stint in charge of the national team. He guided Mexico out of the group stage at the 2002 and 2010 World Cups, only to see the squad lose their first knockout-stage match each time.
Following a playing career that saw him score 14 goals in 59 international appearances, he began a coaching career that has seen him hold numerous club and national-team posts. He guided Atletico Madrid between his two prior stints with Mexico, and he also led the Japanese and Egyptian national teams.
Marquez, 45, was a star defender for Barcelona and the New York Red Bulls, among other teams. With his appearances for Mexico in 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018, he became the first player to serve as captain for a national team at five World Cups.
Most recently, he served as the head coach of Barcelona’s “B” team who compete in the third tier of Spanish football. AFP, REUTERS
