The Herons Fly To The Windy City

_{LAST MATCH: Miami 1 - NYCFC 1}

_{NEXT MATCH: vs. Chicago Fire, Wednesday, October 4th, 8:30 PM EST}

_{WHERE TO WATCH: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV}

Good morning! Inter Miami head to Chicago tomorrow to take on the Fire.

With the team just four points back of a spot in the playoffs, it’s imperative that they pick up points against a very competitive Fire team.

In the email today:

As stated in yesterday’s newsletter, Messi hasn’t featured in a full-length match for the Herons since their September 3rd win over LAFC.

But, it looks like that could change.

According to Argentine journalist Gaston Edul on his Twitch stream, it’s increasingly likely that Messi could (and I stress, could here) return when Miami takes on FC Cincinnati:

• With all the rumors floating around, and the lack of transparency with the club surrounding the injury, it’s increasingly difficult to gauge what’s going on – especially from a journalistic standpoint.

• If Messi does return against Cincinnati, it will confirm that his injury just needed some time to heal, rather than it being “muscle fatigue.”

• Ultimately, with the season drawing to a close, and Miami within striking distance of the playoffs, perhaps it’s better to let the World Cup winner rest and only use him on the field when Miami absolutely needs him.

Our take: The Messi injury saga has gone on for far too long. The club has been secretive, rumors have been floating around, and there hasn’t been clarification. Should he return against Cincinnati, Miami’s chances to make the playoffs increase with his presence on the pitch, but until then, we wait and see how he recovers.

2) 🇭🇷 Luka Modrić To South Florida?

According to a report from the Spanish radio network, Cadena Ser, Inter Miami president David Beckham is pushing for a move to bring Luka Modrić to the club in January.

Though it will be difficult to bring the Croatian in due to MLS’ roster constraints, Miami will most certainly find a way to the 2018 Ballon d'Or to South Florida.

• With the Herons playing in multiple competitions next season, a midfielder of Modrić’s caliber would help.

• If the Croatian can’t get more playing time at Real Madrid, he may look to move elsewhere.

• It remains to be seen if there’s any legitimacy to the rumor, but if Beckham meeting up with Modrić is any indication, then this could have legs in a couple of months.

Our take: Miami could definitely use a midfielder like Modrić, but, with MLS’ tight roster rules, bringing him to the club in January will require some maneuvering.

3) 👨‍🍳 Chef Messi?

4) 📊 Poll: Playoff Hopes?

Have additional thoughts? Reply directly to this email to comment, and see if we include your response tomorrow.

Results from our last poll: Are Miami Hiding Messi’s Injury For Ticket Sales:

It was a tight one, but 50% of you say, NO.

5) 🔗 Link Roundup:

• The FIFA October calendar is here! For Inter Miami, Diego Gomez and Josef Martinez have been called up by their respective countries.

• Yesterday, Apple TV released the trailer for their upcoming Messi docuseries, “Messi Meets America.”

• What’s more important for you? MLS Cup or Supporter’s Shield. According to FC Cincinnati manager Pat Noonan, he prefers the latter.

The newsletter today was written by: Alex Windley @aaw_1998

Thanks for reading! Catch you on the flip side!