05/24/26 09:32:00
Printable Page
05/24 21:30 CDT Messi leaves midway through second half, grabs at leg, Inter
Miami rallies past Union 6-4
Messi leaves midway through second half, grabs at leg, Inter Miami rallies past
Union 6-4
By TIM REYNOLDS
AP Sports Writer
MIAMI (AP) --- Lionel Messi headed into the World Cup break a bit earlier than
planned, and now it'll be Argentina waiting to see if there's an injury to
worry about.
Messi --- who almost never gets subbed out of matches --- left in the 73rd
minute, meaning he was long gone before Luis Surez's third goal of the night
helped lift the defending MLS champions past the last-place Philadelphia Union
6-4 on Sunday night.
No preliminary diagnosis of any issue for Messi was immediately announced.
Messi has dealt with hamstring issues at least two other times during his
three-year stint with Inter Miami.
Messi had two assists and Germn Berterame scored twice during a record-setting
first half for Inter Miami. But Messi basically took himself out of play in the
71st minute and reached toward his left hamstring at least once, then didn't
even venture toward the Inter Miami bench when he could be subbed out.
Messi was replaced by Mateo Silvetti, then left immediately through the tunnel
connecting the field with the team's locker room. Messi was walking under his
own power, albeit slowly, and without any team medical personnel with him.
Surez got the go-ahead goal in the 81st minute. Rodrigo De Paul, on his
birthday, scored in stoppage time to seal the win for Inter Miami.
Heavy rain began falling early in the second half, causing some players to seem
to slip on the turf. It wasn't clear if Messi's departure was precautionary or
not, and it didn't seem like he took any major missteps during the worst of the
rain.
Messi has said in the past that he would only play in the World Cup if healthy.
Argentina starts group stage play on June 16.
Milan Iloski had a first-half hat trick --- including two penalty kicks --- and
Bruno Damiani also scored for Union, which was up 2-0 only 10 minutes into the
match. That start set the stage for the teams to be tied at 4-4 at the half.
The eight goals by halftime was an MLS record, the league said.
Inter Miami (9-2-4, 31 points) enters the break second in the Eastern
Conference, two points behind Nashville (10-1-3, 33 points). Inter Miami is
also fourth in the Supporters' Shield standings --- a trophy that Philadelphia
won last season.
The Union won't be winning that this season. Not even close.
They're at the bottom of the league, a stunning first-to-worst collapse and
head into the break with seven points --- at 1-10-4.
"It's beautiful, it's fun to be a part of the game, it's fun to sing a national
anthem and obviously to see Messi and all these greats so close to me, it's an
honor," said Grammy-nominated and Latin Grammy-winning singer and Miami
resident Luis Fonsi, who performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" pregame. "I'm a
fan and I'm enjoying every bit of it."
He was asked what it's like to share the field with Messi.
"He's a lot more known than me --- times a million," Fonsi said.
Messi has already appeared in five World Cups, winning the Golden Ball as the
tournament's best player twice --- first in 2014, then again in 2022 when he
led Argentina to the title. That award has been given out only since 1982, but
he is the lone player to win it twice.
Argentina is in Group J for the World Cup. Its group stage matches: Algeria, at
Kansas City, on June 16; Austria, at Arlington, Texas, on June 22; and Jordan,
back in Arlington, on June 27.
If Argentina wins that group --- and the defending champions would be heavily
favored to do so --- then Messi would play a Round of 32 match in Miami Gardens
on July 3. The only other way for Messi to play in South Florida during the
tournament would be if Argentina is in the third-place match on July 18.
Of course, all that is contingent on whether Messi plays. And that would now
seem to be in at least some question.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/soccer
|
