Lionel Messi given a break for Inter Miami’s match against Charlotte FC – source
Inter Miami’s head coach Javier Mascherano has opted to rest captain Lionel Messi for the MLS regular-season match against Charlotte FC on Saturday night at Bank of America Stadium, as confirmed by a source to ESPN.
This decision to rest Messi is made by Mascherano and is not related to any existing injury.
The Argentine captain last took the field for Inter Miami on Wednesday night against Nashville SC in the first leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup round of 16, which ended in a 0-0 draw at GEODIS Park. Messi played the full match.
Messi’s teammate from both Miami and Argentina, Rodrigo De Paul, will also miss Saturday night’s game, a source confirmed to ESPN.
Both Messi and De Paul were part of the Inter Miami squad that faced Charlotte at Bank of America Stadium in September 2025, where the team suffered a 3-0 defeat. The artificial turf at the stadium did not significantly influence Mascherano’s selection for the matchday squad, as Messi, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, and De Paul all participated in that regular season encounter.
After Saturday’s match, Inter Miami will welcome Nashville for the second leg on March 18 at Chase Stadium, competing for a spot in the tournament’s quarterfinals.
While Mascherano has previously acknowledged that the Concacaf Champions Cup is a key focus for Inter Miami, he has emphasized that he intends to approach all competitions with equal importance throughout the season.
“We’re not a team that selects which competitions to participate in; we are required to compete in all of them,” he stated. “Clearly, the Champions League is the only tournament we typically engage in that we’re currently missing, and it’s creating a lot of enthusiasm for all of us. However, we must ensure that this does not turn into an obsession. It’s one thing to feel excited, but another to become obsessed.”
Inter Miami currently holds six points in MLS after achieving two victories and one defeat at the start of the 2026 season.
