Home
Inter Miami played without its star player and captain, Lionel Messi, when it hosted Cavalier for the CONCACAF Champions Cup Round of 16 first-leg match at Chase Stadium on Friday.
The team aimed to continue its unbeaten start to the season after securing a 4-1 aggregate victory over Sporting KC in the previous round. Meanwhile, Cavalier, the Jamaican club, played its first match of the tournament, having qualified directly for the last 16 by winning the CONCACAF Caribbean Cup last year.
Why Didn’t Messi Play Against Cavalier?
This marked the second consecutive game that the Argentine World Cup winner missed, as he had also been absent from Inter Miami’s Major League Soccer match against Houston Dynamo earlier in the week.
The decision appeared to be a strategic move, possibly to rest the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner for more challenging fixtures later in the season. Miami was scheduled to host Charlotte FC in a league match on Monday.
Additionally, the omission might have been a precautionary measure to prevent injuries, especially with Messi expected to feature for Argentina during the international break. The national team was set to face Uruguay on March 22 and Brazil on March 26 in the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers.
Messi’s Contributions Before His Absence
Before missing these matches, Messi had actively participated in five preseason friendlies for Miami, along with the club’s MLS season opener against New York City FC. He also played a crucial role in the Champions Cup first-round tie against Sporting KC, scoring twice across both legs to help Miami advance. In Messi’s absence, Spaniard Sergio Busquets took on the captain’s armband and led the team during the match.
“We're playing with fire. And when you play with fire, it's very possible that you'll get burned,” Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano said after the match. “It was a game where we were lucky, where the three or four times they had the upper hand, they couldn't finish off in the best way. And I think that in the second half we were better.”
