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MLS chief tight-lipped on Lionel Messi ban after All-Star no-show

Major League Soccer (MLS) commissioner Don Garber refused to be drawn on whether the league planned to sanction Lionel Messi after the Inter Miami and Argentina superstar was a late withdrawal from Wednesday’s All-Star game.

Messi and Miami teammate Jordi Alba had both been due to start in Wednesday’s showpiece in Austin, where a combined MLS XI defeated a team representing Mexico’s Liga-MX 3-1.

However, news broke early Wednesday that Miami had informed MLS neither player would feature in the game, for reasons that were not immediately clear.

The 11th-hour snub has left Messi and Alba facing a one-game suspension from MLS. Under league rules, players selected for the All-Star game must participate unless they have a valid reason, such as an injury, not to do so.

Garber, however, was tight-lipped about a possible sanction for Messi following his controversial no-show, declining to say whether the league would proceed with issuing a ban against its biggest star, who could now miss Miami’s game against FC Cincinnati this weekend.

“Anything that’s going to happen as relates to next weekend, we’re not going to talk about today,” Garber told reporters ahead of Wednesday’s match.

“The game is not until this coming weekend, and we don’t need to answer that. We’re managing through this process as we speak.”

While Messi, 38, showed no sign of injury while scoring twice in Miami’s win over the New York Red Bulls last weekend, Garber did note that the Argentinian star has recently completed a punishing schedule of games.

Lionel Messi has played nine games in 35 days, four in the Club World Cup and five in domestic competitions, and played 90 minutes in each game.

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“Miami’s had a schedule that is unlike any other team,” Garber said. “Most of our teams had a 10-day break. Miami hasn’t. So we have to manage through that as a league.”

“At the same time, we do have rules. And we have to manage that as well. So we would have loved to have Leo here and to have every player that was selected here.”

Garber said the league should have been made aware earlier that Lionel Messi planned to skip Wednesday’s game.

“We should have known earlier,” Garber added. “We should have addressed it earlier. No doubt about that.”

Messi and Alba’s participation in the All-Star game had been under a cloud after Miami coach Javier Mascherano indicated at the weekend he wanted Messi and Alba to rest.

“The players are called up. I’d prefer they rest, but it’s not my decision,” Mascherano said.

“I know how important the All-Star Game is, and as far as I know, there’s no decision from the club — everything continues as normal.”

Lionel Messi joined MLS in 2023, just months after leading Argentina to victory in the 2022 World Cup.

The eight-time Ballon D’Or winner has had a transformative impact on the league since his arrival, boosting the global profile of MLS and sending ticket sales skyrocketing.

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Lionel Messi to face PSG after Inter Miami, Palmeiras end in stalemate

Lionel Messi faces a reunion with his former club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) after his Inter Miami side reached the last 16 of the Club World Cup with a 2-2 draw with Palmeiras.

The Brazilian side fought back from two goals down to draw at Hard Rock Stadium, a result which secured both teams a place in the knock-out stages.

Goals from Tadeo Allende and Luis Suarez had Miami on course for a second surprise victory in the tournament after their win over Porto.

But the Brazilian side struck twice in the last 10 minutes through Paulinho and Mauricio to make sure of their place in the next round.

Few expected Miami to make it out of the group, but they now face the European champions while Palmeiras will have an all-Brazilian encounter with Botafogo.

For Messi, who celebrates his 38th birthday on Tuesday, the tie in Atlanta will see him face his former club PSG for the first time since leaving them to join Inter Miami in 2023.

“It’s a historic night for the MLS because we are into the best 16 teams in the world, and all the MLS have to be proud of Inter Miami,” said Miami coach Javier Mascherano.

The result meant that Egyptian club Al Ahly and Porto were both eliminated despite producing a highly entertaining 4-4 draw at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

There were six Argentines in the Miami starting line-up, which took the field in front of a large Brazilian contingent in the 60,914 crowd.

The travelling fans were on their feet in the opening minutes when Gustavo Gomez powered a header goalwards from a corner, but Oscar Ustari was down well to save.

Inter Miami grabbed the lead in the 16th minute when Suarez brilliantly chested a long ball into the path of the on-rushing Allende, who showed pace to break clear of the Brazilian defence and then composure to fire past Weverton.

Palmeiras’s tactics of sitting off Miami were not working with Messi dropping deep and linking up with Sergio Busquets and Federico Redondo as the Major League Soccer side enjoyed plenty of possession.

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The only chance for Palmeiras before the break came when Facundo Torres found himself in a promising position after some sloppy Miami defending but he screwed his shot wide.

Messi’s first real effort on goal came four minutes after the restart when he eked out just enough room on the edge of the box for a low shot but Weverton was down well.

Allende threatened again when he broke down the right and flashed a shot just wide of the post and Messi drove a bouncing ball narrowly over the bar as Miami pushed for a second goal.

That came in the 65th minute with the 38-year-old former Barcelona striker Suarez rolling back the years as he dribbled past two defenders and then blasted into the top corner.

Top spot in the group mattered to Inter Miami as it would have avoided the clash with PSG, but it was not to be as Palmeiras earned themselves a crucial point with their late revival.

Substitute Paulinho fired home in the 80th minute after a lovely reverse pass from Allan Andrade.

Then, with three minutes left on the clock, Maxi Falcon’s header fell straight to Mauricio, who pounced on the opportunity, rifling into the far corner to make it 2-2.

“It was a great game from us, it’s difficult to play against one of the best teams in South America,” said Mascherano.

“Maybe at the end we had the game in our hands, so the feeling is strange, but before the start of the tournament, if someone told me we were going to have this kind of performance against these kind of teams, I would have signed for it.”

Abel Ferreira, the Palmeiras head coach, was highly critical of his team’s opening 45 minutes but pleased with their reaction.

“I told them at half-time that it was impossible to do worse than what we did in the first half. We were unable to contain our opponents or put pressure on them up front. But our spirit of fighting until the end was particularly important in the second half, and we were rewarded for that,” he said.

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Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez score twice as Inter Miami edge past Montreal

Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez each scored two goals to spark Inter Miami to a 4-2 Major League Soccer (MLS) victory over visiting Montreal on Wednesday.

Argentine superstar Messi opened the scoring in the 27th minute and assisted on Suarez’s first goal in the 68th minute for a 2-0 edge.

Uruguayan star Suarez scored again in the 71st minute before Montreal’s Dante Sealy answered in the 74th minute.

Lionel Messi struck again in the 87th minute before Victor Loturi pulled one back from the Canadian club two minutes into stoppage time.

Miami jumped to sixth in the Eastern Conference with seven wins and five draws from 15 matches, while East doormat Montreal slid to 1-10 with five draws.

Inter Miami had lost twice and drawn twice in the past four matches.

“We had to take responsibility for the poor results. It’s a matter of correcting to regain confidence,” said Suarez, who added the victory “means a lot … We have to continue to gain confidence in this kind of game.”

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Inter coach Javier Mascherano was concerned about injuries to defenders Gonzalo Lujan, Tomas Aviles and Jordi Alba.

“We needed to cut the negative dynamic. I’m happy,” he said. “Unfortunately, the victory is tarnished by the departure of Gonzalo, Jordi and Toto.”

“In the case of Gonzalo and Jordi, it was something muscular, which tomorrow we will see how far it is. In the case of ‘Toto’, it was the ankle that swelled in a stomp. Maybe he could continue. He wanted to continue.”

Overall league leader Philadelphia won 2-1 at Toronto as the Union rallied late after Norway’s Ola Brynhildsen scored in the 75th minute.

Nathan Harriel netted the equaliser for the Union in the 86th minute, and Germany’s Kai Wagner scored the game winner two minutes into stoppage time.

The Union improved to 10-3-3 for a league-high 33 points while none of the three clubs just behind them on the table could manage full points, second-place Cincinnati drawing 3-3 with visiting Dallas and third-place Nashville drawing 2-2 at fourth-place Columbus.

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Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami held goalless by Chicago Fire in front of record crowd

Inter Miami failed to score for the first time this season in Major League Soccer (MLS) as they were held to a goalless draw by the Chicago Fire on Sunday.

A club-record crowd of 62,358 packed into Soldier Field for the visit of Lionel Messi and his Inter team to witness a gutsy display from the home side.

Chicago, coached by former USA boss Gregg Berhalter, limited Messi and his former Barcelona strike partner Luis Suarez to just a handful of opportunities.

The best effort from Messi, who played the full game, came in the third minute when he unleashed a snap shot from outside the box, which was denied by a fine, diving save from Fire keeper Chris Brady.

There was no sense of Chicago being overawed by the big crowd at the stadium they share with the NFL’s Bears, and they went close twice in the opening half with Mauricio Pineda forcing Oscar Ustari into a full stretch save and then Philip Zinckernagel striking the outside of the post from a narrow angle.

Suarez had a great chance to put Miami ahead just before the break when Noah Allen floated a ball in, but the Uruguayan put his shot over the bar.

After the break, Chicago enjoyed plenty of pressure, with much of the creativity coming from former Lille winger Jonathan Bamba.

The Fire should have grabbed all three points in the 88th minute when Bamba’s shot was parried out by Ustari, but Maren Haile-Selassie put the follow-up shot wide.

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Bamba was denied again by Ustari moments later, but in a frantic finale, Miami also could have stolen a win, but from a promising position, Tadeo Allende dragged his shot wide.

Inter Miami had looked tired after their midweek exertions in their CONCACAF Champions Cup win over Los Angeles FC on Wednesday, and coach Javier Mascherano appeared relieved they had picked up a point.

“We came with a very, very big load not only physically, but also mentally. So not losing is always important, too,” he said.

“I’ll take the positives, which is that we didn’t concede a goal. We’d been conceding goals for three games, and today, we kept a clean sheet. … Now, luckily, we have a long week of work, which is a bit of a break for us, after the start of the season we’ve had,” he said.

Former Miami coach Phil Neville saw his improving Portland Timbers team enjoy a 4-2 win at Sporting Kansas City with Venezuelan forward Kevin Kelsy scoring twice.

Portland are unbeaten in five games and move up to fourth in the Western Conference. The Columbus Crew fought back from a goal down to enjoy a 2-1 win at St.Louis City.

Brazilian Joao Klauss opened the scoring for the home side before Crew defender Steven Moreira levelled with a side-footed volley.

Uruguayan Diego Rossi secured the win with a low drive from outside the box in the 55th minute.

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Lionel Messi watches from bench as 10-man Inter Miami edge Charlotte FC

Lionel Messi watched from the bench as 10-man Inter Miami held on for a 1-0 win over Charlotte FC in Major League Soccer (MLS) on Sunday.

The Argentine was not used by coach Javier Mascherano in a game where Miami spent much of the time on the back foot after goalkeeper Oscar Ustari was sent off in the 38th minute.

It marked the third straight game that Lionel Messi failed to feature for Inter Miami after he did not travel to Houston for last week’s 4-1 win in MLS before watching the 2-0 victory over Jamaica’s Cavalier in the CONCACAF Champions Cup first-leg game on Thursday.

Mascherano has said he is managing the workload of the 37-year-old World Cup winner and while his absence has been a disappointment for fans, Miami have not paid a price on the field.

Charlotte FC, coached by Englishman Dean Smith, the former Aston Villa manager, were the better team throughout the encounter but proved unable to convert their plentiful possession into real goal chances.

The visitors offered early indicators of where their threats lay, with Wilfried Zaha, the former Crystal Palace winger, showing flashes of his skill on the left flank, while Israeli winger Liel Abada’s pace was evident on the opposite wing.

Miami were creating little, with Ashley Westwood dictating play in the centre of midfield for the North Carolina side, and they found themselves in trouble when Ustari received a straight red after he raced off his line and brought down Zaha.

The teams went in goalless at the break but it took just seconds for Miami to strike after the interval with a delightfully constructed goal.

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Tadeo Allende back-heeled to Luis Suarez, and the veteran returned the ball with a chip, which the Argentine chested down and then buried into the bottom corner.

It was the fourth goal this season in all competitions for Allende, who joined Miami on loan from Spanish club Celta Vigo.

Inter Miami opted to defend their lead, sitting deep and in numbers, frustrating Charlotte FC, who struggled to break through their defence despite 13 corners.

Their best chance came in the 65th minute when Zaha whipped in a wicked cross from the left, but Patrick Agyemang’s glancing header flashed wide of the post.

The crowd chanted for a Messi cameo, but Mascherano opted for defensive changes as the South Florida side held firm to maintain their unbeaten start to the season.

“Well, the truth is that in the case of Leo, we had thought of giving him minutes at some point in the game, but when we went a men down and with him having been out for so long, we thought it was best to keep him (on the bench) and not take any risks in that case,” said Mascherano, who did not explain what would be ‘risked’ by Messi.

There has been no clear indication of any injury for Messi with medical staff understood to be concerned about ‘overload’ on his muscles from the intense start of the season, resulting in the cautious approach from his coach.

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Messi named MLS Most Valuable Player after record-setting season

Lionel Messi was named Major League Soccer’s (MLS) Most Valuable Player on Friday after leading Inter Miami to a record-breaking regular season campaign.

The Argentine superstar was handed the accolade after his performances helped Miami to a record regular season points tally, earning the club its first-ever Supporters Shield.

The 37-year-old maestro finished the regular season with a league-leading 36 goal contributions after netting 20 goals and 16 assists.

Messi’s MVP award comes despite an injury-hit campaign in which he made only 19 appearances.

Miami and Messi’s season ultimately fizzled out, when the team suffered a shock first-round defeat in the MLS Cup playoffs.

Lionel Messi is the 10th South American to win the MVP, and the fifth from Argentina after Luciano Acosta, Diego Valeri, Guillermo Barros Schelotto, and Christian Gomez.

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Messi was presented with the Most Valuable Player award in a ceremony at Inter’s Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale alongside Miami Academy players.

“Truly, it is an honor for me to receive this award from all of you,” Messi told the Academy players in a video posted on the team’s website. “It’s a source of pride to watch you all train. I’m very happy to be here every day.”

“I’m happy to be in this city, in this club that is growing … I invite you to keep fighting and striving for your dreams.”

MLS commissioner Don Garber said Messi brought an unprecedented touch of football stardom to the league, which will conclude its season on Saturday with the MLS Cup final between LA Galaxy and New York Red Bulls in Los Angeles.

“To have the best player in the world be the best player in Major League Soccer is something that dreams are made of for all of us,” Garber said.

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Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami eliminated from MLS Cup playoffs in first round

The MLS Cup title dreams of Lionel Messi came to an abrupt end on Saturday with his Inter Miami suffering a shock first-round elimination from the playoffs after a 3-2 home defeat to Atlanta United.

Miami had won the regular season campaign with a record points total but after losing twice in the best-of-three series, the MLS Cup favourites and their eight-times Ballon d’Or winner are out.

All the accolades Miami received for their regular season ‘Supporters’ Shield’ triumph count for little after an Atlanta team which finished ninth in the Eastern Conference pulled off a stunning upset.

Inter took the lead in the 17th minute when Messi was denied by a diving save from Atlanta keeper Brad Guzan but Matias Rojas followed in to slot home the loose ball.

Just two minutes later though the visitors, who only secured a wildcard spot on the final day of the season, levelled when a deflected pass from Dax McCarty fell to Jamal Thiare who confidently fired home with a sweet strike.

Miami were stunned when moments later Thiare struck again — the 37-year-old McCarty lifted the ball forward to Russian Aleksei Miranchuk who slipped the ball inside to the Senegalese striker who blasted home to make it 2-1.

Diego Gomez thought he had brought Miami level in the 23rd minute but his effort was ruled out for offside and Miami continued to look vulnerable against Atlanta’s swift breaks.

After the break, the 40-year-old former USA and Aston Villa keeper Guzan was in inspired form as he frustrated Miami’s search for an equalizer.

Inter Miami, with the injured Spanish midfielder Sergio Busquets on the bench, lacked fluency in midfield and neither Messi nor his former Barcelona strike partners Luis Suarez were at their best as they struggled to conjure up opportunities from limited service.

But it was Lionel Messi who finally broke through in the 65th minute, meeting a Marcelo Weigandt cross from the right with a thundering header.

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Miami pushed forward in search of the winner but instead, they were caught out once again with Pedro Amador’s cross from the left headed home at the back post by Polish midfielder Bartosz Slisz.

Inter Miami players were furious that the referee had allowed play to continue while their defender Tomas Aviles lay injured on the floor but their frustration was in vain.

The final whistle brought a deflated silence over Chase Stadium as Miami’s season, which so many had expected would end with their first MLS Cup title, concluded with the sight of Guzan and his Atlanta team-mates celebrating.

For Miami head coach Gerardo Martino, who won MLS Cup with Atlanta in 2018, an inquest is sure to follow but he tried to put a brave face on the loss.

“This season has had good and bad things. If you think about where we were in November last year, there has obviously been progress in terms of the club, not just the team. If you think about the expectations we had for this playoffs, obviously we came up a little short,” said the Argentine.

Martino said there was a despondent mood in the dressing room.

“The players are sad, as they should be when there are so many expectations and the team can’t fulfil them. In this final part of the year we got used to achieving the objectives but we couldn’t achieve the most important one,” he said.

Former Spain full-back Jordi Alba questioned whether the playoff format was the right approach for MLS.

“I think this format is a bit unfair. It’s been done for many years but I think it should be the champion of one conference against the champion of the other, to make it as fair as possible,” said the former Barcelona wing-back.

Atlanta will now face Orlando in the Eastern Conference semi-finals with New York Red Bulls and New York City clashing in the other conference semi.

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Messi’s Inter Miami to play in FIFA Club World Cup in 2025

Lionel Messi and Inter Miami will feature in next year’s expanded FIFA Club World Cup, FIFA president Gianni Infantino announced on Saturday.

Messi and his team-mates will kick off the tournament in the opening game at Hard Rock Stadium, home of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, on Sunday, June 15, Infantino added.

The FIFA president was speaking on the field at Inter’s Chase Stadium moments after Messi scored a hat-trick as the team broke the MLS regular season points record with a 6-2 win over the New England Revolution.

Miami, who this month won Major League Soccer’s Supporters’ Shield for the best regular season record, will take the qualification slot designated for the host nation.

“Inter Miami qualifies as the host country representative team on the basis of the club’s outstanding and consistent 34-match campaign that saw them secure the shield with two MLS matches to play,” FIFA said in a statement.

The official champions of MLS are determined by the MLS Cup playoffs which begin next week and conclude with the final on December 7.

Inter Miami are the favourites to win the playoffs but the FIFA decision to select the regular season winners ensures the involvement of the Argentine superstar.

The participation of the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi is a much-needed boost to the profile of the new-look tournament, which FIFA hope will capture the imagination of the global television audience as well as fans in the United States ahead of the World Cup in 2026.

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The competition could pit Messi against top European club opposition for the first time since he left Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) last year to move to Miami.

The 32-team tournament will feature title-winning teams from each of FIFA’s continental confederations.

Real Madrid, Manchester City and Bayern Munich are among the 12 European teams who have qualified for the tournament while Argentina’s River Plate and Boca Juniors and Brazil’s Flamengo are among six South American teams.

FIFA has yet to announce any broadcast deals or sponsorship contracts for the tournament and the competition has faced some opposition within the game.

Players union FIFpro and the European Leagues body filed a joint complaint to the European Commission against FIFA over the introduction of the tournament into the international match calendar.

Opponents of the new tournament have said it adds further congestion to an already crowded schedule and increases the workload of players.

The last version of the Club World Cup featured seven teams in a knockout format and was won by Manchester City who beat Brazil’s Fluminense in the final in Saudi Arabia.

FIFA plan to hold the expanded tournament every four years although no host as yet to be chosen for the 2029 edition.

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Lionel Messi scores twice in triumphant injury return for Inter Miami

Lionel Messi dazzled in his return from injury Saturday, scoring two goals in the space of four minutes and adding an assist in Inter Miami’s 3-1 Major League Soccer victory over the Philadelphia Union.

The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner hadn’t played since injuring his right ankle during the Copa America final on July 14, when he helped Argentina to victory over Colombia.

Since then he had missed eight MLS games for his club and this month’s World Cup qualifiers for his country.

Messi hadn’t played for Inter since June 1, but he didn’t miss a beat as he was inserted into the starting lineup.

“The truth is that I’m a little tired,” he said after the match. “The heat and humidity in Miami don’t help much either, but I really wanted to come back, I had been off of the field for a long time.

“Little by little I was training with the group, feeling good and that’s why we decided that I would start, and I’m very happy — very happy.”

Miami coach Gerardo Martino was delighted to see his star come out “feeling good” after 90 minutes.

Philadelphia seized the advantage in the second minute on Mikael Uhre’s left-footed shot from outside the area.

Messi grabbed the equalizer in the 26th minute, collecting a pass from Luis Suarez and beating defender Kai Wagner before unleashing a right-footed shot to cap a sequence launched by Jordi Alba on the left.

Ecstatic fans were still celebrating when he fired Inter ahead in the 30th, connecting again with Alba and firing a left-footed shot from the centre of the area into the bottom right corner.

Inter thought Suarez had made it 3-1 before halftime, but his goal was overturned on a VAR review.

But Suarez added a goal deep in second-half injury time with Messi — who also picked up his first yellow card in MLS for lingering on a corner kick — providing the assist.

Martino said the late goal vindicated his decision to leave both players in the game until the end, saying “both played the whole game because they were fine to finish the game”.

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The victory extended Inter Miami’s lead at the top of the MLS standings to 62 points, 10 points clear of their closest Eastern Conference challengers FC Cincinnati with six games remaining in the regular season.

Messi is also pleased that despite his lengthy absence they lead the race for the Supporters’ Shield awarded to the team that tops the overall standings.

“During the year we were very unlucky with injuries, we were never at full strength,” he said. “For one reason or another we were always missing players and the group always came through.

“Today we are in first place with a big difference and deservedly so, and hopefully we can finish on top for what it means and what comes after that.”

Messi’s two goals, taking him to 14 in just 13 games, put him back in contention for the title of top scorer.

Suarez, meanwhile, has 17 goals and is two behind the current MLS scoring leader, DC United’s Christian Benteke.

After 19,000 fans at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale gave Messi a warm welcome the hosts got a quick scare when Uhre scored with just 58 seconds on the clock.

The Danish attacker controlled a headed clearance from Argentine defender Tomas Aviles and surprised goalkeeper Drake Callender with a blast against the post.

Minutes later, Martino got another shock when Paraguayan center-back David Martinez was injured when he intercepted a Philadelphia pass.

The Union continued to put Callender under pressure, but on the other end Messi was starting to take advantage of the spaces to team up with Alba and Suarez.

In the 26th minute, Alba ran the length of the pitch and delivered the ball to Suarez, who set up Messi to cut inside Wagner and score.

Four minutes later, Alba sent a cross from the left into the heart of the box that Suarez let through and Messi converted to make it 2-1.

Messi, 37 and in his second season in the United States, is the fastest player to notch his first 15 goals and 15 assists in MLS, in just 19 games.

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Lionel Messi ruled out of Inter Miami’s Leagues Cup match

Argentine star Lionel Messi was ruled out on Monday by Inter Miami coach Gerardo Martino for the defending champions’ Leagues Cup knockout match on Tuesday at reigning MLS champion Columbus.

Messi remains sidelined after suffering a right ankle injury a month ago in Argentina’s 1-0 victory over Colombia in the Copa America final.

Lionel Messi has not yet trained with his Inter Miami teammates since escaping a walking boot.

The Leagues Cup is a tournament with MLS and Liga MX Mexican clubs, with Messi helping lift Miami to last year’s inaugural title.

The showdown match between the Columbus Crew, last year’s MLS kings, and Miami, this year’s top overall team in the league table, is among eight matches that will decide quarter-final pairings on Friday and Saturday.

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In Monday’s round-of-16 opener, the host Seattle Sounders blanked Mexican side Pumas 4-0.

Paul Rothrock’s header off a centring pass from Albert Rusnak in the 32nd minute gave Seattle a 1-0 lead and Jordan Morris doubled the Sounders’ edge in the 58th with Rusnak again on the assist.

Slovakian Rusnak scored on a penalty shot in the 71st minute and Morris added a final goal from the spot in the fifth minute of stoppage time.

Seattle, which also defeated Pumas in the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League final, will next host the winner of a Tuesday match between San Jose and Los Angeles FC.

Other knockout matches on Tuesday include Philadelphia at Cincinnati, Cruz Azul against Mazatlan, Tigres against New York City, Toluca at Colorado and Club America at St. Louis.

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