Lionel Messi has been at Inter Miami and MLS for two years has seen a tree during this period. From increasing the competitive bar for a franchise that seemed destined in the early years for mediocrity, to breaking historical records that have received a lot of attention all over the world, Messi has been good for the competition.
The annual All-Star game this year sees the face of an MLS and Liga MX XI this Wednesday at the Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas, but there is still one problem that needs to be solved. Inter Miami Duo Leo Messi and Jordi Alba still have to arrive in the MLS training camp in Texas.
In the case of Messi, his relationship with the All-Star game is somewhat strange. It was impossible for him to attend the 2023 edition because it was held between the announcement of his signing with Inter Miami and his debut as an MLS player in the League Cup. In 2024 he missed the All-Star competition as a result of the single figament injury he sustained during the Copa América final of that year; The same situation prevented him from playing in the Leagues Cup last year with the Miami team.
Now sweating MLS leaders until Wednesday to find out if Messi joins the last-minute All-Star team and participates in the match against the biggest names Liga MX. Yesterday at a press conference, Nico Estévez, head coach of Austin FC and responsible for leading the MLS All-Star team: “I hope Messi makes it because having the best player in history is very important here.” The positive news for fans in Austin is that the name of the Argentinian has appeared on the official MLS All-Star Squad list.
Possible MLS setup
Now that Messi is possible, it is likely that Estévez has aimed at selecting a team without the Argentinian star in the starting line -up. In view of that possibility, the Spanish coach could play several of the following in his starting line-up: Denis Bouanga (Lafc), Evander (FC Cincinnati), Anders Dreyer (San Diego FC) and Sam Surridge (Nashville SC).
The rest of the team could see Yohei Takaoka (Vancouver WhiteCaps) in goal; A line of defense with Alex Freeman (Orlando City), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati), Michael Boxall (Minnesota United) and Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew); Finally, Sebastián Berhalter (Vancouver WhiteCaps) and Jeppe Tverskov (San Diego FC) were able to appear in midfield.