Lionel Messi could return for Inter Miami this weekend, but should he with Argentina matches looming?

Lionel Messi hasn’t appeared in Inter Miami’s squad since leaving 37 minutes in against Toronto FC last month due to fatigue and a knock he has been dealing with. It hasn’t been pretty for the Herons since Messi went down, as the team hasn’t picked up a victory while scoring just four times in four games. Miami not only lost the U.S. Open Cup final to the Houston Dynamo but also lost ground in the MLS Cup Playoffs race. Chasing ninth place, the Herons are now five points behind CF Montreal with only three games remaining. Despite having a game in hand on the Canadian side, the Herons no longer control their destiny, but they could get a lift ahead of facing FC Cincinnati with Messi’s return.

Called up for Argentina’s squad ahead of World Cup Qualifying matches against Paraguay and Peru, Messi would need to show that he’s healthy before joining his country for those matches. Having only played 37 minutes and being limited in training, the only way Messi can do that is by featuring for the Herons this weekend. Messi has returned to training, and the word from the Miami staff is optimistic.

“It’s more of the same. We have to evaluate him day by day. He trained yesterday, he will train today, and afterwards we will surely make a decision,” Inter Miami assistant manager Javier Morales said about Messi’s fitness on Friday. “But every day he is doing better.”

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Any contribution that Messi could make against Cincinnati would be welcome to the team especially with Cincinnati having already wrapped up the Supporters’ Shield and the number one seed in the Eastern Conference. Despite that, Cincinnati have every incentive to win as if Miami makes the playoffs and advances from the wildcard round, these two sides would clash yet again. A loss in the match could surely sink the Herons but even if they do win, it may not be enough.

Is Messi playing actually a bad thing?

When Argentina’s squad was announced, it was expected that Messi would be on it due to his importance to the side, but he’s not the only Inter Miami player called up by Lionel Scaloni. Facundo Farias is also in the Argentina roster, meaning that the Herons will be without their two most creative players for more must-win matches against Charlotte FC during the international break. This is a reason why MLS should rethink what to do during mandatory FIFA windows, but that won’t change Miami’s fate for these upcoming matches.

It has been clear during this period of flat play that the team is tired from the fixture pileup during their run to winning the Leagues Cup. They’ve also become overly reliant on Messi to create magic, rather than trusting their own skills. Without Messi, although runs are being made, no one is taking the initiative to find players in the box or shoot when given space. Part of that responsibility is supposed to fall on the shoulders of Farias, and despite not performing well enough on the pitch for a call-up, this experience can be beneficial for him.

However, without Messi and Farias, it will be challenging to see where that creativity will come from. Even Robert Taylor will be with Finland, creating gaps in Tata Martino’s roster ahead of games that will define their season. While it isn’t the end of the world for the Herons to miss the playoffs, coming so close only to run out of steam towards the end would be quite a disappointment.

Leonardo Campana will be the focal point of the attack during the international break, but even he has been dealing with a hamstring issue that will cause him to miss the FC Cincinnati match. Restoring the crutch of playing through Messi only to take it away could end up creating more issues than it solves as the only way that the Herons can succeed long term is by improving their own play.

After tasting the glory of winning one trophy, they’ll only be in more competitions next season after qualifying for Concacaf Champions Cup, Messi isn’t getting younger and while the squad will look different next season, more matches without him is a valuable growth experience for young players that can help them get a head start on the offseason. After already winning a trophy, Miami is on house money so why not gamble a little more?