Unless their superstar’s mystery injury is serious, the club must seriously consider throwing him back into action with their season on the line

It’s not a hot take to say that, since the summer, we’ve seen two very distinct versions of Inter Miami: the one with Lionel Messi and the one without him. With Messi, Miami have been as unstoppable as the Argentine has been undeniable, turning the Herons into must-watch television. Without him though, woof…that’s a different team entirely.

For the past few weeks, Miami have reverted back to their old ways with Messi on the sidelines. A last-place quality team for much of the season, they haven’t quite been that bad in the games Messi has missed, but they’ve been close. Because of that, their playoff hopes hang by the thinnest of threads.

It was always going to take something spectacular for Miami to reach the postseason. Even with Messi, the road was going to be grueling. Having gone this time without him, though, it’s now out of their hands; Miami will need to win and need some help.

Questions still remain over Messi’s status. His injury has been shrouded in mystery as fans, week in and week out, await confirmation on the superstar’s fitness. However, Argentina have given us a clue that Messi may actually be closer to being 100 percent than many realized.

Because of that, Miami will need to make a decision this weekend against FC Cincinnati. The club will need to figure out if they can afford risking Messi or not in this upcoming match, with the playoffs very much on the line.

GettyThe Messi mystery

For weeks, everyone following MLS has been waiting for a concrete answer: when, if ever this season, will Messi be back?

The Argentine suffered an injury during the September international break as he was forced off after scoring a stunning winner in a World Cup qualifying triumph over Ecuador on September 7. He sat out the ensuing win over Bolivia, supposedly as a precaution, before returning to Inter Miami.

His comeback, though, was all too brief. Messi lasted just over 30 minutes against Toronto FC before coming out. He had apparently reaggravated the injury, but there has been little clarity from the club, which has generally said Messi’s status is day-to-day throughout the process.

Messi, however, hasn’t travelled to Miami’s away games and has been sat in the stands for home matches. The club insists he’s getting closer, but how close? It still seems unclear.

The story, though, took another turn this week, as Lionel Scaloni gave us a clue regarding Messi’s health.

GettyAn Argentina call-up

Despite the fact that Messi has played fewer than 45 minutes over the last month, there his name was. Scaloni selected him for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Paraguay and Peru, alongside new club team-mate Facundo Farias.

To be fair, Scaloni’s initial squad is a 34-man list, which is far from a guarantee that Messi will be involved. However, the fact that he was named at all indicates that Argentina have at least some hope that he’ll be good to go for those qualifiers, which come on October 12 and October 17.

The call-up comes after Inter Miami boss Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino said that Messi was close to a comeback, but the question is: how close? And, if Messi somehow is healthy enough to join Argentina, will Miami lose him yet again in a defining stretch of their season after missing him for so long?

Getty ImagesWith and without him

It seems so long ago now, given what we’ve seen over the last few matches. At one point, though, Miami were unstoppable.

With the Argentine leading the charge, the club won the first nine games of the Messi era, lifting the Leagues Cup in the process as they claimed their first trophy. A draw with Nashville snapped the streak before yet another win over LAFC made it 11 unbeaten with the Argentine in the XI. They also went on to win that return game against Toronto, despite his brief appearance, ensuring that the club remains without a loss as long as Messi plays.

As long as Messi is in the line-up, Miami have been electric. He has contributed to a total or 19 goals in his 11 appearances, scoring 11 while assisting eight as Miami have completed a miraculous turnaround. Before Messi arrived, Miami were one of the worst teams, if not the worst, in MLS. Since he joined the XI, though, they’ve run through the rest of the league with ease.

When he doesn’t play, though, it’s a whole different story. Well, in some ways it’s a familiar one, as anyone who watched this team before Messi arrived will remember this kind of form.

The club is 1-3-2 in the six matches they’ve played without the Argentine, including a heavy loss to Atlanta United and a lopsided defeat to the Houston Dynamo in the U.S. Open Cup final, spoiling a chance at a second trophy.

Perhaps the worst loss, though, came on Wednesday, as Miami were thumped 4-1 by the Chicago Fire in a match that very well could spell the end of their playoff hopes.

Getty ImagesThe playoff picture

Inter Miami have just three games left in their season, and it’ll take a miracle for them to find a way to turn those three games into a playoff spot

As things stand, Miami sit 14th in the Eastern Conference, with the ninth-place team earning the last playoff spot. That team as it stands, is CF Montreal, who are five points ahead having played one more game than Miami.

In that sense, it seems somewhat manageable. If Miami win out, they very well could, and probably would, catch Montreal. The problem, though, is the amount of teams between the two, as Miami will need teams all around them to drop points.

Charlotte FC are just above them, and the good news is that Miami plays them twice. The New York Red Bulls, D.C. United and New York City FC, though, are out of Miami’s control, as are the aforementioned Montreal. D.C. and NYCFC play one another, the Red Bulls play last-place Toronto FC in one of their two games, while Montreal, to be fair, faces tough games against the Portland Timbers and Columbus Crew.

A lot will have to happen for Miami to make up the ground needed to earn a postseason spot, and that process won’t be made easier by the team they play next.

@GettyA tough opponent

In a way, maybe Inter Miami did get a bit lucky here, despite it all. The bad news is that their next game is against FC Cincinnati, the Supporters’ Shield winners and the unquestioned best team in MLS.

The good news, though, is that right now, Cincy has nothing to really play for.

After their stunning midweek loss to the Red Bulls, in a game where they could have done Miami a favor, Cincy now cannot match the MLS point record of 74 set by New England Revolution in 2021. With the top spot in the league already locked up, Cincy’s eyes are now on the postseason and making sure everyone peaks in time for the playoffs.

Still, while there may not be direct stakes for Cincy, even a half-motivated version of this team is better than most you can face in MLS.

Leading the club is their own superstar Argentine, Luciano Acosta. He’s the MVP favorite with 16 goals and 13 assists. Even with Messi in MLS, you have to say that Acosta has been the league’s best playmaker this season.

He isn’t alone, though. U.S. men’s national team forward Brandon Vazquez has contributed to 12 goals of his own, while newcomer Aaron Boupendza already has five goals in just 564 minutes. Add in a defense that has allowed a solid 47 goals across 32 games and you have a team that has proven to be a legitimate contender to do the double this season.

That’s the team standing in Inter Miami’s way, and that’s why Messi’s status is even more important this weekend.

GettyThe big decision

You can understand why Miami would be hesitant to risk Messi. He is bigger than any one game, after all. A long-term injury to the Argentine would be catastrophic for the player, the team and the league. There may not be a game big enough to risk someone so important.

But if there is, if the stars align and give Miami any sort of choice, this is the game where they’ll have to do it. Miami’s season could be over by Saturday night and, based on what we’ve seen, it almost certainly will be if Messi doesn’t feature.

The club will need to decide what, if anything, they can get out of him. 20 minutes of Messi is better than zero, and 20 minutes may just be all he needs to keep their playoff hopes alive. Maybe Messi is kept on the bench as a ‘break in case of emergency’ option but, if that emergency does arise, if there is a situation where Messi can save their season, can the club afford to try to do it without him?

There are a lot of variables at play but, based on what Miami and Argentina have indicated, Messi is at least somewhat close to offering something. And that something may just be the difference between missing and making the playoffs.

Messi has played hero plenty of times during his short Inter Miami stay, and the club may have to push all of their chips onto the table in the hopes that he can do so one more time.

Will Miami actually risk Messi in this match? That remains to be seen but, if they don’t, they probably won’t get the chance again.