So much for the Miami miracle.
When Inter Miami signed Lionel Messi, there was a clear path to winning at least one trophy. The League’s Cup served as a worthy springboard into a new era of American soccer, featuring the game’s greatest players in high-stakes matches and ultimately leading from his debut to his We have given you an instant chance to win the trophy within a month. A month later, Miami nearly doubled their winnings, but a hamstring injury kept Messi out of the US Open final, which was ultimately won by the better Houston Dynamo.
Beyond these two finals, Messi has one task left in 2023, albeit an almost impossible one. It was to drag the worst team in MLS (at the time of the deal) to the MLS Cup Playoffs.
With Miami out of playoff contention, MLS has lost its biggest chance to sell neutral fans on the one-shot contest between the eighth and ninth place teams in each conference. Especially in a year where neither conference has enough players to be worthy of title contenders. That’s an issue they will have to solve over the next few weeks. In return, Messi will be able to enjoy one of Major League Soccer’s great traditions: the league’s long offseason.
After the League Cup, it looked as if Messi would have no days off in 2023, when he played almost every game and gave his best performance of the tournament. Miami fans and Argentine fans alike may be facing uncertainty right now. Another kind. How do they stay fresh during the long, dormant winter months?
Messi’s workload meant there were very few breaks. From July 2022 onwardsfrom the preparations for the 2022-23 Ligue 1 season, to the World Cup, where he played all 690 minutes of Argentina’s victory, to the end of the last European campaign and the dawn of his stay in North America.
But he will finally be given time to rest. Perhaps it’s completely too heavy for Argentina national team coach Lionel Scaloni’s tastes.
The league’s postseason doesn’t end until Dec. 9, but the 10 teams that missed the playoffs, including Miami, will end their seasons early. Players and coaches will be able to depart for their off-season vacation after completing their exit interviews after Decision Day (October 21st), the final day of the MLS regular season. There are no supplementary competitions for teams that don’t make the cut, and there are no cup competitions that have yet to begin against another tantalizing North American league. After playing two more games (both against Charlotte FC, due to a scheduling quirk), Inter Miami’s 2023 season will be over.
Miami doesn’t know exactly when its next game will be held. 2024 will soon begin with Miami playing on three fronts: the MLS regular season, the U.S. Open Cup, and the CONCACAF Champions Cup (formerly known as the CONCACAF Champions League).
In recent years (that is, years not affected by the COVID-19 pandemic), Major League Soccer has started new seasons in late February or early March. The league announced the full schedule for this season on December 20, 2022. The home opener for the upcoming 2021 season was announced on November 18th, and the full schedule was released on December 15th.
This year, Inter Miami’s hopes of winning the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup were dashed in the final by the Houston Dynamo’s incredible all-round ability. The 2024 installment has technically already begun, as the first round of regional qualifiers took place on September 9th. Even if the tournament officially opens next year, MLS teams will not enter until two or three rounds have been played between lower division teams. Historically, it’s not until mid-April.
All that remains is the CONCACAF Champions Cup. As of this writing, the federation has not announced a schedule for reformatted headline club competitions. The previous episode, which was then named CCL, was released in mid-February.
Assuming the schedule doesn’t move into January (when many clubs in the US and Canada struggle to host games due to winter weather), Messi will have about four full months of competitive club action. It is unlikely that it will.
Don’t expect BarcaLOANA
The long layoff has only added fuel to the seemingly unquenchable fire of FC Barcelona fans hoping for the return of their club icon. I can understand that wish. Few players, coaches or executives are in such a unique position at the heart of a Catalan club, but Messi himself wants to stay until his contract expires in the summer of 2021, similar to his time at Paris Saint-Germain. He still has feelings for his former club. Germain has come to an end.
As many Netflix viewers have discovered (or remembered) by watching the docuseries of the same name, Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham was a former MLS player when he was under contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy. He spent two seasons on loan at AC Milan. That particular history could complicate any desire to send Messi to Spain. That’s because the Galaxy just turned its star lineup to an MLS Cup title in 2011 after Beckham spent a full offseason recovering and preparing without returning to Europe.
Even if Beckham is excluded, it is still unlikely that Messi will return to La Liga. As reported by his colleague Laia Cervelo Herrero, a source close to the player spoke on condition of anonymity to protect relationships. The Athletic He has no intention of going anywhere on loan and plans to remain with the MLS club. Officials also mentioned his desire to establish a stable home in Florida with his family and said he did not want to be away from his family for one to five months during the loan period. .
In addition, Jorge Mas, co-owner of Inter Miami, said in uncertain words In July, he said: “He’s not going to be loaned there. That’s not going to happen.”
Beyond that, the nature of his departure in the summer of 2021 caused a rift in the relationship between the Messi family and Barcelona president Joan Laporta. None of this takes into account the defending La Liga champions’ continued financial problems, which has left the fan base, like many MLS fans, “triggering the lever” and the league’s new financial restrictions. I’m obsessed with it.
Given the reported lack of interest Some would think he might have no choice but to move temporarily if he leaves another European club this summer.
Now, all Messi has left to do before Valentine’s Day is finish the MLS regular season and rest between World Cup qualifiers. Argentina were one of only two teams to win both opening qualifying matches (along with Brazil, as before), winning against Ecuador followed by an away win against Bolivia. Although Messi has not played since qualifying for Ecuador, he was selected by Scaloni to play against Paraguay and Peru on October 12th and 17th of this month.
According to multiple reports, the time between the final regular season game and November’s international game will allow Miami to do what true “global brands” in the sport do: tour other parts of the world. There is a possibility that this will happen. As first reported by Gaston Edur of TyC Sports, Inter Miami could play friendlies in China and Japan next month.
This trip will postpone Messi to the national team in November, with Argentina playing against Uruguay on the 16th before traveling to Brazil on the 21st. The layoff has since been extended once again, with his eligibility now on hold until the end of next summer’s Copa America, which will resume in September 2024.
This leaves three months between Brazil qualifying and the likely start of the CONCACAF Champions Cup or MLS regular season. It could be a rare chance for one of sports’ most timeless icons to pick up some rust. It could also be a blessing for Miami and its 36-year talisman. His employers believe the latter scenario is the case, as injuries have been an issue recently after such grueling training. The same can be said for Argentina, with World Cup qualifying underway and the defense of their Copa America title on the horizon.
Until then, Messi and his family should have plenty of time to travel the world in search of the best players. tomato covered pizza You can buy it with that money.
(Photo: JUAN MABROMATA/AFP via Getty Images)
