Inter Miami’s chances of making the playoffs were boosted on Tuesday when Lionel Messi was not included in Argentina’s roster for the World Cup qualifier against Bolivia.
The game is in the Bolivian capital of La Paz, which is situated at roughly 12,000 feet above sea level. It is a particularly grueling place to play, with Argentina’s players given portable oxygen devices on arrival in the city.
🏆 #Eliminatorias
📋 ¡Once inicial confirmado! ⚽
Así formará @Argentina 🇦🇷 para el encuentro ante #Bolivia 🇧🇴 pic.twitter.com/p6IGOYiSdY
— 🇦🇷 Selección Argentina ⭐⭐⭐ (@Argentina) September 12, 2023
Messi getting a rest and not being exposed to playing in those conditions will surely please Miami coach Tata Martino. The MLS side remains unbeaten since Messi’s arrival and is six points back from the final Eastern Conference playoff spot with eight regular-season games to play. Inter Miami visits Atlanta United on Saturday, a tricky match on artificial turf for Messi and his teammates. An MLS-record crowd is expected at Mercedes Benz Stadium to watch Messi face off against his manager’s former club. Martino won MLS Cup in 2018 as coach of Atlanta United.
Messi played 89 minutes on September 7 in Argentina’s first-round qualifier against Ecuador in Buenos Aires. He scored the winner in the 78th minute from a direct free kick. He revealed afterward that he asked Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni for a substitution due to fatigue.
“I was a little bit tired … surely this won’t be the last time that I come off at the end of a game,” Messi told reporters. Scaloni would later say that Messi “felt something” before asking to be taken off. Messi had also credited Ecuador with playing a strong, physical match.
Required reading
- Messi is showing that moving to MLS hasn’t diminished his motivation to perform
- When will Messi rest? Inter Miami’s superstar faces a jam-packed end to 2023
(Photo: Luis Robayo / AFP via Getty Images)
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