3 days ago
2
Lizzy Becherano
Jul 30, 2025, 11:17 PM ET
Lionel Messi said helium struggled to find bushed successful the archetypal fractional against Atlas connected Wednesday nighttime astatine Chase Stadium earlier mounting up 2 second-half goals -- including a precocious victor -- successful a 2-1 triumph to footwear disconnected Inter Miami CF's Leagues Cup campaign.
Messi was returning to enactment after serving a one-game suspension for missing the MLS All-Star Game past Wednesday, and said that portion remainder whitethorn service immoderate players it wasn't thing helium needed.
"The information is that it was hard with the heat, and not having played the different day. Even if [the rest] seems better, for maine it's worse due to the fact that I request to compete," Messi said aft the match. "I consciousness bully physically the much matches I play and get into rhythm.
"The different time they didn't fto maine compete, and I felt it successful the archetypal half, but the important happening is that we won."
Messi watched from the sidelines arsenic Inter Miami held FC Cincinnati to a gully connected Saturday, owed to the league's regularisation that states immoderate subordinate who does not enactment successful the All-Star Game without anterior support is ineligible to vie successful his club's adjacent match.
Messi acceptable up Marcelo Weigandt successful stoppage clip for the winning goal, which was initially ruled retired for offside earlier VAR overturned the on-field telephone and gave Miami the goal.
Messi has present scored oregon assisted 21 of Inter Miami's past 27 goals successful each competitions, dating backmost to May 28.
"It's a large contention for us; 1 we ever vie in," Messi said. "It's a large trial for america to look Mexican teams, and the format has changed, truthful we tin bask it and play it. It's a large competition. [The victory] is ace important.
"The American teams hadn't won, and it's important for america to instrumentality vantage due to the fact that we vie against each other. While we're playing against Mexican teams, the array is connected our side, and we person to people much than the others."
New Inter Miami accomplishment Rodrigo De Paul made his debut connected Wednesday night, connecting with Argentina nationalist squad teammate Messi good successful the attack.
"Rodrigo [De Paul] gives america the hierarchy with a subordinate successful his prime, a satellite champion, 1 of the astir important players connected the nationalist squad that is World Champions, and who has a important transportation with our champion subordinate connected and disconnected the pitch," said caput manager Javier Mascherano.
"All of america who person had the accidental to play with Leo, to cognize Leo, to the players who person that transportation with him, we person to instrumentality vantage of it. We person to instrumentality vantage of it a batch due to the fact that they are fewer and acold between, and those players are chosen."
Inter Miami volition present hole to look Necaxa connected Saturday nighttime astatine Chase Stadium earlier concluding the radical signifier of the 2025 Leagues Cup tourney against Pumas.
