Dream denied: Lionel Messi won't play at Soldier Field

Lionel Messi touched his ankle.

That was enough to set off alarm bells from Miami to Chicago on Friday.

With Messi hoping to travel with Inter Miami for its road game Saturday against the Fire, the team’s last practice ended with a startling scene.

Messi, who has been recovering since injuring a ligament in his right ankle during the Copa America
final July 14, was spotted speaking with coaches toward the end of practice while touching his ankle. The moment was captured on video and shared on social media, setting off a storm of speculation.

After that brief chat with coaches, Messi reportedly went to the side of the field to train alone. He later was ruled out for the Fire game, listed as unavailable on the unofficial injury report filed with Major League Soccer.

Even before the practice, Messi hadn’t been medically cleared to play. But his return to practice this week raised hopes for a long-shot return for the game at 7:30 p.m. at Soldier Field.

‘‘For several weeks now, he’s been training with the ball, starting first with the medical team and physical trainers, then gradually integrating some parts of training with the group,’’ coach Tata Martino said before the practice. ‘‘We’re in that situation right now.’’

Last season, a sellout crowd of 61,000 at Soldier Field was disappointed that Messi, who was
injured at the time, didn’t make the trip for the Inter Miami road game against the Fire. This season, the Fire was prepared for the possibility of another Messi no-show.

As the Miami Herald reported, because Messi isn’t playing Saturday, fans who bought tickets will receive one of three perks: credit toward season-ticket membership, complimentary tickets to the Fire’s fan-appreciation game in October or single-match tickets to the game next year against Inter Miami. The offer was dependent on the date of purchase.

With the Fire trailing Inter
Miami by 30 points in the Eastern Conference, there was little sense rushing back Messi for the game, not that Martino was leaning on that excuse.

‘‘There are not many easy rivals in MLS,’’ Martino said. ‘‘When we played in Chicago on their home field last year, we gave up four goals [and lost 4-1]. They are still in the hunt for a playoff or play-in spot. And we have a lot to play for as far as our season objectives. We want to win the Supporters Shield. If we felt that by clinching a playoff spot last week we could now slow down, we’d be making a big mistake.’’

Messi has missed more games than MLS and Inter Miami would like: A total of 60% of the 2024 season has seen the Pink and Black play without the biggest soccer star in the world.

For MLS, every week is a lost opportunity when Messi is out.

Now nearing the end of the MLS regular season, Messi has not even reached 15 MLS games this season. In fact, he has played in only 29 games in total when considering MLS, Leagues Cup and CONCACAF Champions Cup.

Messi won’t play for Argentina during the next international window. It plays Chile on Sept. 5 and faces Colombia on Sept. 10.

Inter Miami’s next match is at home Sept. 14 against the Union, which might be a more likely possibility for Messi’s return from injury.-