Will he or won't he? Messi's status for game vs. TFC still in question

TORONTO — It’s not very often that the most famous athlete in the world — heck, one of the most recognizable people on the planet — finds himself in Toronto. 

But that’s exactly where soccer megastar Lionel Messi will be on Saturday afternoon as he and his Inter Miami side take on Toronto FC at BMO Field in an MLS regular-season match. 

This isn’t the Argentine ace’s first time in Canada this year. Messi played the full 90 minutes, but managed to have a quiet night, in Miami’s 3-2 win over CF Montreal at Stade Saputo on May 11. Miami travelled to Vancouver later that same month to face the Whitecaps. But Messi didn’t make the trip, infuriating some local fans who filed a class-action lawsuit against the Whitecaps and MLS over an alleged “bait-and-switch” strategy used to promote the game. 

Messi and his teammates touched down in Toronto on Thursday and trained in the city on Friday ahead of this weekend’s match. Now, the question becomes whether the World Cup champion and the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner will actually play on Saturday. 

Common sense suggests that Miami coach Tata Martino will give Messi the day off or, at most, bring him off the bench for a few minutes in the second half, rather than starting him. But Martino wasn’t tipping his hand when speaking to reporters after Miami’s training session on Friday. 

"In terms of Leo and the rest of the players that have been playing and that have participated in two very tough games against Charlotte and Columbus, we have to look into the minutes that they've played," Martino said through a translator. 

"And with Leo, we know that playing more minutes puts him in a better rhythm. We have been able to see that on the field, but we have to continue looking at him in the next few hours — and the rest of the group — to assess and decide [Saturday's] team."

Alex Windley is a Florida-based journalist who regularly covers Inter Miami. She believes it’s very unlikely Messi will be in the starting 11 vs. Toronto, given the fact that Miami is on a very short turnaround, coming off a 3-2 road win over the Columbus Crew on Wednesday night.

“I don’t foresee Messi starting the game. The game in [Columbus] was pretty tough on the team and you could see he was physically tired after 90 minutes. Tata is really big on squad rotation, especially in games like this,” Windley told Sportsnet. 

Indeed, while Toronto FC needs a victory in its regular-season finale to keep alive its fading chances of qualifying for the playoffs, Saturday’s contest doesn’t have nearly the same consequences for Miami.  

The Herons have already sewn up a playoff berth and the midweek win in Ohio clinched the Supporters’ Shield as the regular-season champions. Miami is locked as the No. 1 seed going into the playoffs and is guaranteed home-field advantage throughout the post-season, so there’s very little incentive for Martino to give Messi any playing time in Toronto. 

“I wouldn't say these last two games [of the regular season] are throwaways. But Miami has already clinched the Shield and top spot, and they don’t want any unnecessary injuries. ... Maybe he’ll get some minutes at the end in Toronto, but I think they’re just going to shut him down for the rest of the season and save him for the playoffs,” Windley said. 

There is also the complication of Messi’s international commitments. After Saturday’s MLS match, Messi will fly to South America and rejoin Argentina’s national team for a pair of World Cup qualifiers against Venezuela and Bolivia on Oct. 10 and 15. 

Those games will mark the Inter Miami captain’s return to international duty for the first time since suffering a right-ankle injury during the 2024 Copa América final against Colombia on July 14. As a result, Messi spent the next two months on the sidelines, and missed September’s international window with Argentina. No doubt, he wants to save himself for Argentina’s pair of games rather than risk injury against Toronto FC.  

Messi only recently returned to action in MLS and has scored five goals in five appearances for Miami, including a brace in the win over Columbus. But the Argentinian legend is still working out the kinks, all of which suggests his participation in Saturday’s match vs. Toronto could be limited to a brief cameo role. 

“He’s looked a little bit rusty, especially in that first game back. Even now, his touches are probably not the cleanest in terms of close control. That’s just him getting back into game rhythm and even Tata Martino said as much that he’s still getting his stamina back,” Windley said. 

Still, Toronto FC can’t take any chances and has to assume that Messi, who has 17 goals and 15 assists in just 17 MLS games this season, will take to the pitch at BMO Field on Saturday. TFC has been lucky so far in that Messi was injured for both of the previous games this season between the clubs, a pair of home wins for Miami and MLS and Leagues Cup action. 

TFC coach John Herdman is preparing his team as though Messi will play for Miami. What’s TFC’s game plan to try to mitigate the Argentine’s influence over Saturday’s contest? Herdman said the key is “you have to be brave on the ball.”  

“You’ve got to try and control elements of the game where you limit his opportunities through what you’re doing. That’s really important against Miami, if Messi is playing. They have a really aggressive first line of pressure. And if you can play past that first line, then I wouldn’t say dominate the ball against them, you can find that opposite rhythm,” Herdman said. 

Toronto FC fullback Richie Laryea was part of the Canadian men’s team that competed at this summer’s Copa América, where it went up against Messi and Argentina, both in the group stage and again in the semifinals. 

Laryea described Messi as “the best player ever” and that trying to stop him on the pitch proved very challenging during the Copa América. 

“It’s a learning experience playing against players like that [who] you don’t see for a couple of minutes in the match, and then you look over your shoulder, and he’s running in on goal on a breakaway,” Laryea said. "Hopefully, you can get a read on what he can do, which people have tried for many, many years, and it’s difficult. But [we have] to at least try to slow him down." 

John Molinaro is one of the leading soccer journalists in Canada, having covered the game for over 25 years for several media outlets, including Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is currently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a website dedicated to in-depth coverage of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer.