Inter Miami Take On The Chicago Fire

Good morning, South Florida! It’s game day in the Windy City as Inter Miami takes on the Chicago Fire tonight.

The Herons will be without Leo Campana and Lionel Messi as they look to climb the table to get to the playoffs.

In the email today:

After a month without playing a full-length match for the Herons, Lionel Messi finally took the training pitch on Tuesday ahead of his expected return against FC Cincinnati this Saturday.

With the club silent on the issue and manager Tata Martino cryptic during press conferences, it’s been difficult to report on the injury that the World Cup winner has been suffering.

Yesterday, the media, fans, and pundits alike got their first look at Messi on the training field doing some light running drills and ball work.

According to Argentine journalist Gaston Edul, Messi should return to the field on the seventh:

Translation: “Leo Messi [will play] with the Argentine National Team and will [train with the team on] Sunday the 8th and Monday the 9th. The captain of the National Team [will look to] add minutes again against Cincinnati [with Inter Miami.]”

• Messi did some individual training and ball work ahead of his expected return.

• Miami is just four points out of the playoffs, with four games to go.

• Should Messi return against Cincinnati, then Miami has a good shot at making the playoffs with his presence on the field.

Our take: Messi partaking in some light training is a welcome sight for Miami. If he could get back on the field before the Herons take on Cincinnati, then the team’s playoff chances will increase significantly.

2) 🤕 Injury Updates

Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Martino gave an injury update on two key players, Leo Messi and Leo Campana.

On Campana: “Leonardo Campana will rest this upcoming game and will continue to evaluate him regarding the discomfort he had in the previous game to see if he will play against Cincinnati.”

On Messi: “In Leo Messi’s case, as we’ve addressed this in the past few days, we will see in training if we are running any type of risk and will evaluate if it’s convenient for him to travel or not.”

• Miami will be without striker Leo Campana during their crucial away trip to Chicago.

• Messi is also close to returning.

• With the Herons close to the playoffs, Campana and Messi's injuries have come at a time when the team needs to get as many points as they can without their best players.

Our take: Although Campana and Messi will be out, the Herons have plenty of firepower up top to bring back points against a competitive Chicago Fire team.

3) 🔥 No Messi, No Party!

With it likely that Messi will miss Miami’s match in Chicago, the Fire has offered fans up to 200 dollars in credit towards their season tickets next year.

4) 📊 Poll: The Goat Returns?

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

Results from our last poll Can Miami Make The Playoffs Without Messi:

The vote is tied between NO and MAYBE.

5) 🔗 Link Roundup:

• 🙃 Premier League officials release the controversial audio detailing their mind-boggling decision to reverse Luis Diaz’s goal in Liverpool’s loss vs. Tottenham.

• ⚽ David Beckham’s Netflix documentary premiers today!

• 🇮🇹 Lorenzo Insigne apologizes for yelling at a fan during Toronto FC’s 3-2 loss against FC Cincinnati.

• 🇨🇦 Kamal Miller extends his contract with Inter Miami until the 2026 season with an option for 2027.

The newsletter today was written by: Alex Windley @aaw_1998

Thanks for reading! Catch you on the flip side!