Lionel Messi, wearing a long sleeve black shirt under his black “La Noche” Inter Miami jersey with the captain’s armband, is off to a relatively quiet first half start for Inter Miami against Charlotte FC on Saturday night.
But the stakes on the line for Charlotte, compared to Miami, has been the difference in this match at Bank of America Stadium and broadcast by Apple TV.
Kerwin Vargas scored in the 13th minute to help Charlotte FC take a 1-0 lead in this match. Charlotte needs a win to reach the MLS playoffs on MLS Decision Day Saturday.
Inter Miami, already eliminated from the playoff field, has played aggressively at times, but had one shot on goal among two shots in the match. Charlotte had six shots in the first half.
Messi found an opening behind some Charlotte defenders in the box, but a pass from Leo Campana was out of Messi’s reach in the 40th minute. On a sequence a few seconds earlier, Messi’s pass to Deandre Yedlin set up a shot by Diego Gomez, but it was deflected by a defender. It was Inter Miami’s first shot of the match.
Inter Miami nearly took a 1-0 lead in the second minute, but Leonardo Campana’s goal on a pass from Benjamin Cremaschi was ruled offsides.
How much Messi will play in this one will be determined in the second half. Messi has recovered from a right leg injury that hampered him for much of September, causing him to miss matches in Atlanta, Orlando and Chicago last month. Inter Miami has also been eliminated from the MLS postseason, so this is Messi’s final MLS match in his first year with the club co-owned by David Beckham, and Jorge and Jose Mas.
Messi free kicks miss in 62’ and 65’: Charlotte FC 1, Miami 0
Leo Messi nearly had a spectacular free kick goal.
Messi’s free kick from right side of the box was deflected by the Charlotte goalie and hit the crossbar in the 62nd minute. The opportunity was gifted following a handball by Charlotte’s Kerwin Vargas, who scored the match’s only goal.
Messi had another free kick from about 40-45 yards out, but his kick hit the wall of players. Messi was tripped between two Charlotte defenders in the 65th minute to set up the kick.
Messi’s goal was offsides: Charlotte FC 1, Inter Miami 0
Messi received an outlet pass and a jog toward the box for a chip shot over the Charlotte goalie’s head just as the second half began.
But Messi was offsides on the only attempt on goal he’s had in this match.
No goal for Messi.
A minute later, Messi’s next shot was blocked by a Charlotte defender.
Inter Miami misses shot: Charlotte FC 1, Inter Miami 0
Messi found an opening behind some Charlotte defenders in the box, but a pass from Leo Campana was out of Messi’s reach in the 40th minute.
On the previous sequence, Messi’s pass to Deandre Yedlin set up a shot by Diego Gomez, but it was deflected by a defender. It was Inter Miami’s first shot of the match.
Messi has been relatively quiet but engaged and running hard when involved during the first half of this match.
Kerwin Vargas goal: Charlotte FC 1, Inter Miami 0
Messi, wearing a long sleeve black shirt under his black “La Noche” Inter Miami jersey with the captain’s armband, contested a ball around the midline but has played patiently during the first 10 minutes of the match.
But Charlotte FC, trying to keep its playoff hopes alive, has struck first in this one.
Kerwin Vargas scored in the 13th minute to help Charlotte FC take a 1-0 lead in this match.
Messi in starting lineup for Inter Miami at Charlotte
Not only is Messi playing, but he will be starting: Messi was announced as one of Inter Miami’s starters for the Charlotte match on Saturday.
Here’s a photo of Messi warming up before the match.
How much Messi will play in the match remains to be seen. Maybe, he plays in the first half. Maybe, he’ll have an early exit after halftime.
Who knows? Maybe, Messi will play the entire match just because.
Messi Inter Miami black jersey gets some action
For the first time in the Messi era, he will wear Inter Miami’s black jersey in today’s match against Charlotte.
Messi and Inter Miami has routinely worn their pink jerseys, known as the Heartbeat Kitsince he joined the club in late July.
Inter Miami teased its jersey kit in a social media post before the game, a treat for Messi fans who have been waiting patiently to see him in Inter Miami’s La Noche kit.
Messi plays on MLS Decision Day
While Messi will get some of the spotlight Saturday, the MLS playoff picture will take shape after today’s slate of matches.
Two playoff spots still are up for grabs, with five teams — CF Montréal, New York Red Bulls, Chicago Fire FC, Charlotte FC and New York City FC — fighting for their playoff hopes in the Eastern Conference.
And the Portland Timbers, FC Dallas, San Jose Earthquakes, Sporting Kansas City and Minnesota United FC will compete for the final three playoff spots in the Western Conference.
What are the 2023 MLS Decision Day matchups?
- Charlotte FC vs. Inter Miami CF6 pm ET
- FC Cincinnati vs. Atlanta United FC6 pm ET
- Columbus Crew vs. CF Montréal6 pm ET
- New York City FC vs. Chicago Fire FC6 pm ET
- Nashville SC vs. New York Red Bulls6 pm ET
- New England Revolution vs. Philadelphia Union6 pm ET
- Toronto FC vs. Orlando City SC6 pm ET
- Colorado Rapids vs. Real Salt Lake9 pm ET
- Sporting Kansas City vs. Minnesota United FC9 pm ET
- Los Angeles Galaxy vs. FC Dallas9 pm ET
- Portland Timbers vs. Houston Dynamo FC9 pm ET
- San Jose Earthquakes vs. Austin FC9 pm ET
- St. Louis City SC vs. Seattle Sounders FC9 pm ET
- Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Los Angeles FC9 pm ET
All games are available on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
Messi says he will play in Charlotte
It is unclear whether Messi will start or come off the bench, but Messi will be available for selection in Inter Miami’s lineup.
Messi shared his intention to play in the match after his recent outing, where he scored two goals to lift Argentina past Peru late Tuesday night in a 2026 World Cup qualifying match.
“I will train, I will play our remaining upcoming match,” Messi said during a sideline interview with TyC Sports and TVP after the Peru game.
Messi trained with his Inter Miami teammates on Friday, and assistant coach Javi Morales said the club will determine how much he will play before Saturday’s match.
“He returned well, he played 90 minutes with Argentina. He returned with no problem, nothing to be concerned of from what had happened to him in the past,” Morales said of Messi.
“He is doing very well, in good condition, with the desire to play, which is what he likes to do, so we’re good.”
Why Messi’s decision to play in Charlotte is unique
Messi’s decision to play at Charlotte FC is pertinent because it’ll be the first match he plays on artificial turf in the MLS.
During Messi’s first and only Inter Miami press conference in August, he appeared open to the idea of playing on turf.
“All of my lower leagues, I’ve always played on turf,” Messi said.
“That was a long time ago and it’s been a long time since I played on synthetic turf. But I have no problem adapting to turf again.”
While MLS commissioner Don Garber said he hoped MLS teams playing on turf would roll out a grass surface on top of it, Charlotte was quite vocal in being against the notion just for Messi.
“All of our Major League Soccer matches are scheduled to be played on turf and there is no plan to change to natural grass,” Charlotte FC said in a July statement.
How did Messi fare in his last three matches?
Messi appears close to 100 percent healthy after Argentina’s 2-0 win over Peru last Tuesday. He scored in the 32nd and 42nd minutes, and was determined for a hat trick that did not come to fruition.
He appeared sharp and back in shape, playing from start to finish for the first time since a right leg injury with Argentina on Sept. 7 hampered him for much of the last six weeks with Inter Miami.
It was a drastic improvement from his previous two appearances: Messi’s rust showed as he hit the crossbar twice in Argentina’s match against Paraguay on Oct. 12. One of those instances included a free kick on goal, which Messi has routinely made since joining Inter Miami this summer.
Still, it was a better outing than his Inter Miami return against FC Cincinnati on Oct. 7, when he didn’t have a shot on goal. Inter Miami lost 1-0, the club’s first loss with Messi in the lineup that ended their MLS postseason hopes.
What are Leo Messi’s plans for the offseason?
Messi also detailed his plans for his offseason after the Peru match.
But he didn’t mention participating in Inter Miami’s two international friendlies against Chinese super teams in early November.
“I will train, I will play our remaining upcoming match and I will try to get here [to the national team] in the best possible way for November [qualifying matches],” Messi said.
“After that, I will enjoy the holidays in Argentina. It’s the first time that I am going to have more days off in December, with the holidays, with peace of mind, with my people. In January, I will return again to do preseason. Start from scratch and prepare as best as possible as always.”
Messi, Inter Miami going to China
Inter Miami will play two friendlies in China on Nov. 5 and 8 to capitalize on Messi’s worldwide brand while enhancing its own globally.
Inter Miami will play Qingdao Hainiu F.C. in Qingdao, China on Nov. 5 at the Qingdao Youth Football Stadium on Nov. 5, and face Chengdu Rongcheng in Chengdu, China on Nov. 8 at the Phoenix Hill Sports Park.
Messi will likely return to the Argentine team for matches against Uruguay on Nov. 16 and Brazil on Nov. 21.
