Messi Heads to Jamaica as Inter Miami Eyes Concacaf Quarterfinal Spot

Lionel Messi is set to travel with Inter Miami to Jamaica for their Concacaf Champions Cup round-of-16 second-leg match against Cavalier FC at Kingston’s Independence Park on Thursday.

Messi, who has missed Miami’s last three matches due to what head coach Javier Mascherano described as load management, trained with the squad on Wednesday and was included in the travelling roster.

“Leo Messi is on the roster and will travel with the team to Jamaica,” Mascherano confirmed. “Tomorrow we will decide for the game what is best, if he starts or waits on the bench and comes in later.”

The Argentine star sat out Miami’s recent games against Houston Dynamo and Cavalier FC before remaining on the bench for the entirety of the match against Charlotte FC on Sunday.

Mascherano reiterated that Messi was not dealing with an injury but was being rested to reduce the risk of any setbacks early in the season.

Miami carries a 2-0 aggregate lead into the second leg after securing a victory in the first match at Chase Stadium last week. While the team will have most of its roster available, including the returning defender Maxi Falcon, Mascherano is not taking the game lightly.

“We know that tomorrow we are going to play a tough game for us. It’s a game that is very important, not just for this week but for the season because we have the chance to go through to the quarterfinals,” he said.

Concerns have been raised about the playing conditions in Kingston, but Mascherano remained focused on the task at hand.

“At the end, obviously we prefer if the field is good, better for us for the way that we play. But anyway, we have to play in the condition that the field is.”

Should Inter Miami advance past Cavalier, they will face LAFC in the quarterfinals

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