When the MLS schedule was released in December, one date on D.C. United’s home calendar stood out: March 16 against Inter Miami and its Argentine superstar, Lionel Messi.
Inter Miami indeed will arrive at the Buzzard Point venue Saturday afternoon, but Messi will not — sidelined by a right hamstring strain incurred Wednesday during an international tournament match.
The club on Friday night ruled him out of the D.C. United match with a “slight injury” and said his availability for upcoming matches, including the Argentine national team’s two friendlies, will be determined soon.
Messi’s absence will disappoint local fans who missed out on seeing him play last season; Miami’s one visit to the District came just before he joined the squad.
When the 2024 schedule came out, United initially offered tickets to the Miami game through the season ticket package and premium options only. Once seats to that match were gone, the asking price on the secondary market stretched into four figures.
There were still many available this week, but when Messi’s injury was revealed, prices dropped substantially.
This is not the first time local fans will miss out. In 2015, he did not play in Argentina’s friendly against El Salvador at the NFL stadium in Landover because of a calf injury.
Messi is scheduled to return to the area June 14 when World Cup champion Argentina faces Guatemala in Landover.
Fans are not the only ones bummed about Messi’s absence this weekend. United players were also eager to play against arguably the greatest player in soccer history.
“You want to test yourself against the best,” midfielder Matti Peltola said.
“Everybody wants to play against Messi,” left back Pedro Santos said, “even if he can be a threat [against] us.”
But there is also the practical matter of winning games, and amid a bright start to the season under new coach Troy Lesesne, United (1-0-2) understands Miami’s loss is its gain.
“It’s definitely a positive for us,” said United center back Christopher McVey, Messi’s Miami teammate last season.
“We have more chance to get three points,” Santos said.
Messi strained his right hamstring during a 3-1 victory over Nashville SC in the Concacaf Champions Cup in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He posted a goal and assist in the first half before departing five minutes after intermission.
Messi played all 90 minutes in Miami’s first three MLS games — he contributed three goals and one assist — and started against Nashville last week in the first leg of their series. But he skipped Sunday’s regular season match against Montreal — a 3-2 home defeat — with what was described by team officials as a shin injury.
“There’s probably at least some of our group that says, ‘All right, now we don’t have to worry about someone of that level,’ ” Lesesne said. “And then there’s another part of the group that probably wanted him to play, to try to test themselves and our club against the best of all time.”
United prepared this week for a Miami lineup that included Messi — “tendencies of how they like to get him the ball, how he pops up in weird spots and is lackadaisical on defense,” goalkeeper Alex Bono said.
On Thursday, the team also was preparing for Leonardo Campana to take Messi’s place.
But Lesesne and the players said their primary focus was on themselves and how to continue sharpening their play after they defeated New England in the home opener last month, then earned draws at Portland and Cincinnati — a positive step after United missed the playoffs four consecutive years.
Lesesne’s pressing and proactive up-tempo style has begun to take shape and earn plaudits.
“It’s that type of style of play that we want to implement every single match but particularly in a situation where the opponent [such as Miami] has played so many matches in a short period of time and is coming off short rest,” Lesesne said.
Even without Messi, though, Miami (2-1-1) is capable of causing trouble. The lineup includes three of Messi’s former FC Barcelona teammates: Luis Suárez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba. It also features Paraguayan midfielder Diego Gómez, U.S. national team goalkeeper Drake Callender and former D.C. winger Julian Gressel.
“Just because [Messi] is not there,” Bono said, “doesn’t mean this game is going to be a breeze.”
Notes: United striker Christian Benteke, who missed two matches with a groin injury, practiced all week and, barring any late setbacks, will be in uniform. His front-line partner, Ted Ku-DiPietro, probably will remain sidelined with a knee injury. …
Peltola (Finland), right back Aaron Herrera (Guatemala), center back Matai Akinmboni and forward Kristian Fletcher (both U.S. under-19 squad) will miss the match at St. Louis City next Saturday while away with their respective national teams. MLS does not pause the schedule for all such international windows.
