Lionel Messi will not play when Inter Miami attempt to win their second major trophy of the season in Wednesday’s U.S. Open Cup final against the Houston Dynamo in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
True to manager Tata Martino’s word Tuesday that Messi’s status would be a game-time decision, the status of the superstar wasn’t known until his name was not listed in the lineup just before the start of the game Wednesday night.
Messi has played only 37 of the past 360 minutes of league play for Inter Miami.
First, he missed a 3-2 win over Sporting Kansas City while on international duty for Argentina’s national team.
When he returned, he was dealing with muscle fatigue that also kept him out of one of Argentina’s matches.
He played most of the first half last Wednesday against Toronto FC before coming off with a noticeable limp, and he was absent in Sunday’s 1-1 draw against Orlando City.
Houston will be attempting to win its second U.S. Open Cup in five years.
–Field Level Media
