Inter Miami will be without Lionel Messi as they jump back into MLS competition on Sunday night against host and in-state rival Orlando City.
Herons coach Javier Mascherano confirmed on Saturday that Messi will not travel for the game due to a “minor” muscle injury in his right leg. There is no timetable for the star forward’s return.
Inter Miami (12-4-6, 42 points) are coming off a 3-1 victory Wednesday over Pumas UNAM, which clinched a spot in the Leagues Cup quarterfinals. Orlando City (11-6-8, 41 points) also qualified for the quarterfinals following a 5-1 victory Wednesday over Necaxa.
Now the Florida sides will renew their longtime rivalry with Miami seeking payback for one of its worst losses of the season.
Orlando City dominated the teams’ first meeting on May 18 in Fort Lauderdale, beating Miami 3-0 with Messi on the field.
Inter Miami have lost only one of their past nine MLS matches since that defeat — a 6-1-2 stretch.
Without Messi on Wednesday, Luis Suarez stepped up with his first goal in nine matches, as did recently signed Rodrigo De Paul.
“(Suarez) is insane,” Miami’s Yannick Bright said. “Even at his age, he still makes the difference. … I think his performances get overlooked by Messi’s performances, but they are there every game and he does his job every game. We are so grateful for him.”
Orlando has won only two of its past six league matches at home, much of it is due to a tendency for defensive lapses. Scoring has not been a problem as Orlando has recorded at least one goal in each of its past 14 league matches.
Ramiro Enrique and Luis Muriel have led the attack up front and Martin Ojeda leads the team with 13 goals. Muriel scored in Orlando’s win over Inter Miami earlier this season.
“(Muriel) was very clinical in the final third,” Orlando City coach Oscar Pareja said. “That’s something I see every day in training and something he was able to apply in past games.”
Inter Miami (49 goals) and Orlando City (46) are the two highest-scoring teams in the Eastern Conference.
–Field Level Media
