Lionel Messi, the Argentine football icon, has been officially ruled out of Inter Miami’s Leagues Cup knockout match against MLS titleholders Columbus Crew, as confirmed by head coach Gerardo Martino on Monday. Messi has been out of action since suffering a right ankle injury in Argentina’s narrow 1-0 win over Colombia in the Copa America final last month. Despite being cleared from a walking boot, he has yet to join his Miami teammates for training.
The Leagues Cup, a tournament that features clubs from both MLS and Mexico’s Liga MX, saw Messi play a pivotal role in Miami’s championship win in the previous edition. However, this year, he will miss the crucial clash against Columbus, last season’s MLS champions, with Miami currently leading the league standings. This highly anticipated match is one of eight fixtures that will determine the quarter-final matchups scheduled for Friday and Saturday.
In Monday’s opening match of the round of 16, Seattle Sounders dominated with a 4-0 victory over Mexico’s Pumas.** The first goal came in the 32nd minute when Paul Rothrock headed in a cross from Albert Rusnak, giving Seattle an early advantage. The lead was doubled in the 58th minute when Jordan Morris scored, with Rusnak once again providing the assist.
Rusnak, a Slovakian midfielder, then converted a penalty in the 71st minute, pushing the score to 3-0. Morris added the final goal with another penalty in the fifth minute of stoppage time. Seattle, who also defeated Pumas in the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League final, will face the winner of Tuesday’s match between San Jose Earthquakes and Los Angeles FC.
Tuesday’s other knockout games include Philadelphia Union visiting Cincinnati, Cruz Azul going up against Mazatlan, Tigres facing New York City FC, Toluca taking on Colorado Rapids, and Club America playing against St. Louis City SC.
