Lionel Messi had a huge impact on Inter Miami from the moment of his arrival. However, his absence due to injury saw their performance plummet. As a result, they lost the chance to qualify for the play-offs. This means Lionel Messi and Co. will go on a long break till MLS 2024 starts in February next year. They had scheduled two friendlies in China in the coming few days. However, Miami confirmed a few hours ago that their China tour has been cancelled.
Inter Miami had two friendlies scheduled in China before they went into break. However, they released a statement today saying the China tour has been cancelled. The statement read, “The tour promoter, NSN, has informed Inter Miami CF of the cancellation of its China Tour due to unforeseen circumstances in China. Inter Miami’s ambition remains to expand its global reach by playing in front of incredible fans from across the globe; the Club will continue to explore future opportunities with NSN to achieve this goal.”
Upon arriving at Inter Miami in late July, it was clear how much impact Lionel Messi had on the team’s performance. Within a few weeks of joining, he led them to their first-ever trophy win. However, Messi was playing on a regular basis with a gap of 3-4 days till early September. At the age of 36, it was inevitable that he would either fall victim to fatigue or injury. During Argentina’s first 2 World Cup qualifier matches during September’s international break, Messi sustained a leg injury.
He missed the second match for Argentina in that international break. As he came back to the United States, he missed a few more matches for Inter Miami. In his absence, Miami’s performance plummeted and they kept losing points. They could not manage to qualify for the MLS play-offs. This means they will be on a break till MLS 2024 starts in February next year. Miami previously confirmed that they will play a series of friendly matches during the break. Their first set of friendly matches were scheduled in China.
Inter Miami were set to play Qingdao Hainiu and Chengdu Rongcheng respectively on the 5th and 8th of November. However, earlier this week, there were news that the first match was cancelled. Now both matches have now been cancelled due to “unforeseen circumstances”. Hence, Messi and Co. will have to wait longer to get back on the field. Miami are planning a few more friendlies including one against Messi’s childhood club, Newell’s Old Boys. However, even that match could happen next year.
Lionel Messi will be taking the field for the two most important matches of their World Cup qualifiers so far. Argentina will be facing Uruguay on 17th November and Brazil on 22nd November. Messi last played a competitive match on 22nd October. The friendlies during their China tour would have helped him stay fitter for these upcoming matches. However, almost a month-long break from the game could also help him have a much-needed rest before he takes on the South American giants.
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