Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez fail to score in first Inter Miami game together as MLS giants are held to 0-0 tie by El Salvador – with first preseason game marred by Facundo Farias going off on a stretcher with a knee injury

Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez scored their reunion with Inter Miami on Friday night, with the attacking stars playing 45 minutes in the team’s disappointing 0-0 draw against El Salvador.

The forwards played the first half before being substituted at half-time alongside Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba as they dusted themselves off in their first minutes of pre-season for the Major League Soccer team.

Messi showed flashes of brilliance from deeper up the pitch: moments of close control and a sumptuous pass from deep as Alba bombed down the left flank, a combination that worked so well last year.

Suarez was seen with ice around his right knee as he watched the second half from the touchline – a likely prudent move as the forward has been struggling with an underlying problem in recent times.

But a disappointing night in front of goal was further tarnished when Facundo Farias was left on a stretcher in the second half with an apparent knee injury.

Miami and coach Tata Martino will be praying it isn’t serious, but it didn’t look great.

Martino started with a 5-3-2 formation for Miami, with Busquets anchoring the midfield while Messi and Suarez led the attack. Julian Gressel made his Miami debut alongside Suarez, with the former Atlanta man playing at right back.

Perhaps surprisingly, Robert Taylor, the Finland international who combined so well with Messi in the early days of his Miami career, was a substitute, but it is too early to look too far into Martino’s lineup at this stage.

That said, Martino will want to see a bit more from his forwards as they rebuild their fitness for the new season. There were 53,000 fans packed into Estadio Cuscatlan and there was a bit of boos when the stars they could all see didn’t return for the second half.

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