Messi, seated with his wife and children at Inter Miami’s Chase Stadium, was ruled out for the match against Toronto. He is also set to miss the upcoming game on Saturday against Chicago as he continues to recover from his Copa America ankle injury.
Inter Miami announced on Tuesday that Messi has a ligament injury, following a full evaluation of the two-time Copa America and World Cup champion. According to Inter Miami coach Tatar Martino, Messi will be evaluated on a weekly basis.
“The club’s medical report is out and the information is that regarding the times, it will surely be evaluated week by week,” Martino said. “We are going to see just how his recovery is without taking any kind of risk.”
Messi sustained the injury during Argentina’s 1-0 win in the Copa America final against Colombia on Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. He did not travel back to Argentina with his teammates to celebrate the Copa America title, opting to stay home to begin his recovery.
The timeline for Messi’s return remains indefinite. Inter Miami stated that his future availability “will be determined by periodic assessments and the progress of his recovery.”
Federico Redondo scored the first two goals of his MLS career in the 53rd and 59th minutes, and Diego Gomez added a goal in the 43rd minute to secure Inter Miami’s 3-1 win.
Derrick Etienne Jr. scored in the 80th minute for Toronto, while Inter Miami’s Luis Suarez entered in the 61st minute after securing a third-place finish with Uruguay in Copa America.
Inter Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender and striker Robert Taylor both celebrated their 100th match for the franchise during the victory.
With the win, Inter Miami retook the lead in the MLS Eastern Conference with 50 points, benefiting from FC Cincinnati’s 1-0 loss to the Chicago Fire, which left Cincinnati with 48 points.
