Lionel Messi appears set to return from injury for Inter Miami CF - just in time for a crucial stretch of games for the Herons.
The legendary Argentine No. 10 was all but cleared to play by head coach Javier Mascherano ahead of Saturday's home clash against the LA Galaxy (7:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass, Apple TV+).
Four days later, the Herons will be back at Chase Stadium to host LIGA MX powerhouse Tigres UANL in the Leagues Cup quarterfinals (8 pm ET | MLS Season Pass, Apple TV+; FS1, UniMás).
"Leo is doing well. He’s been training with the team since Wednesday, you’ve seen him," Mascherano told reporters Friday morning.
"And unless something strange happens during today’s training sessions, we think he’ll be available for tomorrow’s game."
Much-needed return
Messi suffered a hamstring injury on Aug. 2 during Miami's penalty-kick shootout win over Necaxa. He missed the club's subsequent Leagues Cup Phase One finale victory over Pumas UNAM and last weekend's Florida Derby loss at Orlando City.
Now, the 38-year-old looks poised to return amid another stellar season with the Herons.
With 18g/9a in 18 MLS appearances, Messi leads the Golden Boot presented by Audi race and is a serious contender to become the first-ever Landon Donovan MLS MVP repeat winner.
Additionally, he's looking to make more history in Leagues Cup, a tournament he won with the Herons during his debut 2023 season.
Galaxy challenge
Before Wednesday's highly anticipated showdown with Tigres, the Herons will take on an LA Galaxy side that's also in the Leagues Cup quarterfinals, where they'll meet CF Pachuca.
"For me, they’re a team in which the MLS standings don’t reflect their quality, especially the quality of their players," Mascherano said of the 2024 MLS Cup champions, who are currently last in the overall league standings.
"The reality is that maybe they didn’t start the season well because of injuries and different situations," he added.
"But they’ve improved a lot over the last few months."
