Lionel Messi and Inter Miami’s match against New York Red Bulls will be live tonight in Times Square – but the superstar may NOT be playing from the start!
- Lionel Messi has had an astonishing impact on football in the US at Inter Miami
- But he could start as a substitute for Saturday’s game against New York Red Bulls
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami game against New York Red Bulls will be shown live in Times Square on Saturday night – even though the superstar may not be playing.
The 36-year-old is expected to make his first Major League Soccer appearance in the Big Apple – all of his games in Miami to date have been cup games – but there is considerable uncertainty as to whether he will start the competition .
MLS and Red Bulls announced the Times Square display on social media, with Messi on the billboard and the caption, “A huge MLS match requires a huge screen.”
But Miami coach Tata Martino has repeatedly suggested that Messi – who has scored 10 goals in his first eight games in Miami – could be given a rest due to the number he has already played and the team’s busy schedule.
He said on Friday: “I understand the expectations the rest of the world has for watching him, and there’s no denying that. But I can’t act on that basis, because then I run the risk of doing things wrong.’
Lionel Messi and Inter Miami’s match against New York Red Bulls will be broadcast live in Times Square
But there is uncertainty about the fact that Messi will play in the New York game from the start
Coach Tata Martino has strongly hinted that Messi could be a substitute for Saturday’s game
Messi played 120 minutes on Wednesday night as Miami beat Cincinnati on penalties and last weekend played the full game as his team beat Nashville on penalties to win the Leagues Cup.
After that weekday game, Martino said: “Leo and many other players are reaching an important physical limit and from today we will evaluate this – how will I face the next three games?
“You also have to take into account the large number of games we played in 45, 50 days.”
Nashville has a chance for revenge on Wednesday when the two teams meet again in Miami. Messi then leaves for California next weekend for a tough match against MLS Cup holders LAFC.
For all the success Miami has had in the cups since the arrival of Messi, they are resuming the MLS season in a pitiful position.
The team is last in the Eastern Conference, 14 points outside the playoff spots, but has two games to play against Chicago Fire, who occupy ninth and final position.
There is so little room for error for Miami – they basically need to win every game in the league from now on to have any chance – but Martino could see this game against Red Bulls as Messi’s best option to rest.
The Red Bulls are eleventh in the MLS Eastern Conference, while Nashville is sixth and LAFC is second in the Western Conference.
However, there would be a lot of hugely dissatisfied fans if Messi didn’t play from the start.
Tickets for Saturday night’s game have sold for over $500, with some running into the thousands on the resale site before news of Messi’s status came out.