Inter Miami head coach Gerardo Martino confirmed that Lionel Messi will not play in the team's League Cup round-of-32 match against Toronto FC on Thursday night. The Miami boss confirmed in his press conference ahead of the match that Messi has not trained with the team since returning from the Copa América due to an ankle injury.
"Leo is getting better every day. He's still training in the gym [not the field], but he's better every time and doing well in the timeframe we had considered."
Martino said this in his news conference on Wednesday.
However, Luis Suárez will be available for the match at Chase Stadium as he returns from a recurring knee injury. The injury had caused him to withdraw from the 2024 MLS All-Star match in Columbus, Ohio, and sidelined him for the team's final group stage game against the Tigres on Aug. 3.