Messi watched from the sidelines as Inter Miami CF lost 2-1 to the Houston Dynamo in the U.S. Open Cup final after he was not named in the squad due to an injury picked up while on Argentina duty.
Manager Gerardo Martino said Tuesday that whether his star player was available or not would come down to a game-time decision.
When the lineup was revealed ahead of the final at DRV PNK Stadium, Messi was not listed on the team sheet.
“It was clearly not prudent for him to play, not even for a few minutes,” Martino said after the match. “We couldn’t take the risk.
“But he will surely play again before the end of the season. His participation will be determined game by game based on the medical team’s feedback.”
Messi’s former Barcelona teammate Jordi Alba also sat out the loss as he dealt with an injury of his own, with both players spotted in the stands in street clothes shortly after kickoff.
With two of their stars missing, Miami were overmatched and Houston took full advantage, scoring twice in the first half from Griffin Dorsey’s close-range thunderbolt and a penalty by Amine Bassi as the visitors controlled the game.
When the final whistle blew, it was Houston that added a second U.S. Open Cup to their trophy case after winning it in 2018.
