When Inter Miami comes to play the Revolution on July 9, Lionel Messi might attempt to repeat his performance as the star of Gillette Stadium’s most attended sporting event in 2024.
Although it’s still difficult to predict if the Argentine superstar will play, recent events give New Englanders who are desperate to witness Messi’s brilliance some hope.
In front of a club record 65,612 spectators, the World Cup winner and other former Barcelona colleagues Luis Suarez and Sergio Busquets all played in Miami’s 4-1 thumping of the Revolution at Foxborough a year ago.
With a goal by Thomas Chancalay in the first minute that was worthy of a highlight, Messi and company withstood a thrilling start from New England and ultimately destroyed their defense. The sellout crowd was not let down by the Argentine, who assisted Suarez and scored twice.
Messi remained on the field for the entire game and had no problems, despite the fact that a lot of the debate in the lead-up to the 2024 match at Gillette Stadium focused on whether he would play on the turf surface.
Timing is the factor that worries Messi’s supporters the most a year later. The 2024 game against New England was place in April, ahead of the unavoidable summer schedule crunch brought on by other tournaments. The road matchup with the Revolution in 2025 falls squarely in the heart of Miami’s hectic schedule:
-
July 5
: at CF Montr al -
July 9
: at New England Revolution -
July 12
: vs. SC Nashville -
July 16
: at FC Cincinnati -
July 19
: at New York Red Bulls
Miami’s recent participation in FIFA’s Club World Cup is somewhat to blame for the large number of games played in such a short period of time. Miami took a break from MLS games in June in order to participate in the international event.
However, following a 2-1 victory over Porto, Miami advanced out of the Club World Cup group stage and became the first Major League Soccer side to upset a European opponent in a significant match. However, they were routed 4-0 by UEFA Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday in the Round of 16. Messi’s squad now has to play several midweek games (like the one versus the Revolution) over the course of a month in order to make up for missing MLS games.
Beyond this, Miami’s calendar is even more packed, with two more games in July (including the Leagues Cup start on July 30), another midseason break in which Messi, the captain of MLS’s marquee team, is anticipated to perform well.
However, the defeat in the Club World Cup gives New England soccer supporters some hope that Messi will participate on July 9. If Miami had advanced to the tournament championship, it would have been on July 13, a few days after the Gillette Stadium matchup. Either Miami head coach Javier Mascherano would have used an extensively rotated roster to rest his players before the final, or New England’s MLS matchup would have been delayed.
Messi is more likely to participate now that there is no threat of an impending final. Messi hasn’t missed a game despite his hectic schedule in recent months since Mascherano rested him for a 4-3 loss to FC Dallas on April 27 (the game took place between CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinal matches).
Messi also emphasized the significance of the forthcoming MLS schedule in a recent Instagram post. He stated, “Now it’s time to focus on the next round [in] MLS and in everything that is coming,” turning the page on the team’s loss in the Club World Cup.
As always, it’s impossible to predict with certainty whether a specific player will play or not. However, given Miami’s current situation, it is plausible that he may return to the field at Foxborough and try to frighten the Revolution’s back line—that is, unless he sustains an unexpected injury this weekend against Montreal.
Since 2016, Hayden Bird has been employed at Boston.com as a sports staff writer. He covers every aspect of New England sports.
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