Tag Archives: CONMEBOL World Cup

Lionel Messi Expected to Travel with Inter Miami for Team’s Final MLS Game Against Charlotte

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Lionel Messi could possibly appear in Inter Miami’s final game of the Major League Soccer season.

Lionel MessiThe 36-year-old Argentine soccer star will travel with Inter Miami CF to Charlotte for the team’s final game of the MLS season.

Miami assistant coach Javier Morales confirmed on Friday before Messi trained with the team that the Argentina star will be available to play on Saturday. 

“He’s going to travel. We will decide tomorrow how much time he will play,” Morales said.

A muscle injury had limited Messi to only two appearances — and 72 total minutes played — for Miami since September 3. He had played 90 minutes for the first time in 6 weeks last Tuesday in Argentina’s win over Peru for the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers.

“Certainly, having Lionel [Messi] in the team is a motivation for everyone. We know what he means for football,” Morales said. “To have him in our team and available to play and compete is always good for us. We’re happy he’s returned and is 100% and we’ll see how he goes tomorrow in the game.”

Messi came as a substitute in the 1-0 home defeat to FC Cincinnati on October 7 that eliminated the Herons from playoff contention.

The last match in Messi’s first season in the MLS at BofA Stadium in Charlotte will be the first time he has played on artificial turf.

Following the Charlotte game, Inter Miami players will have a couple of weeks off before they get back together in November for a two-game-tour to China.

Charlotte is still in the race for the playoffs, in a must win situation to have any hope of grabbing one of the last Eastern Conference postseason spots.

“If he plays, he plays. And we have to deal with,” Charlotte coach Christian Lattanzio said about the possibility of facing Messi.

“We have to focus on ourselves and we have to play our game. And also, we have our supporters on our side and we hope that they will really be behind the guys like they always do.”

Lionel Messi Picked for Argentina’s Next Two World Cup Qualifying Matches

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Lionel Messi is set to represent his country once again…

The 36-year-old Argentine soccer star has been picked for Argentina’s next two World Cup qualifying matches despite a leg injury that had kept him off the field for two weeks with MLS club team Inter Miami CF.

Lionel Messi Messi returned to the field on Saturday night in his team’s 1-0 loss to FC Cincinnati after missing five of Inter Miami‘s last six matches, including a 4-1 loss to Chicago Fire FC.

The Argentina captain also missed his national team’s 3-0 win at Bolívia on September 12.

Prior to Saturday’s game, Messi’s previous appearance was at his team’s match against Toronto on September 20, during which he was substituted at halftime because of the recurrence of a leg injury that initially resurfaced in a 1-0 win against Ecuador on September 7.

Argentina, who along with Brazil lead the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying standings with two wins from two matches, will face Paraguay in Buenos Aires on October 12 and then visit Peru five days later.

Messi has 11 goals in 12 matches with Inter Miami. The team is 8-1-4 when he plays; seven of those matches were on the team’s run to winning its first trophy by claiming the Leagues Cup championship, and another was in the U.S. Open Cup semifinal. Inter Miami is 1-3-2 in its six matches without Messi since he joined the club.

“Barcelona missed him, and the Argentine team missed him,” Miami coach Gerardo Martino said about Messi after the loss to Chicago. “Of course we’re going to miss the best player in the world.”

Full Argentina Squad:

Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martínez (Aston Villa), Franco Armani (River Plate), Juan Musso (Atalanta)

Defenders: Walter Benítez (PSV Eindhoven), Juan Foyth (Villarreal), Gonzalo Montiel (Nottingham Forest), Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid), Germán Pezzella (Real Betis), Cristian Romero (Tottenham), Lucas Martínez Quarta (Fiorentina), Nicolás Otamendi (Benfica), Marco Pellegrino (AC Milan), Marcos Acuña (Sporting Lisbon), Nicolás Tagliafico (Lyon), Lucas Esquivel (Athletico Paranaense)

Midfielders: Leandro Paredes (Roma), Guido Rodríguez (Real Betis), Enzo Fernández (Chelsea), Rodrigo de Paul (Atletico Madrid), Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen), Carlos Alcaraz (Southampton), Giovani Lo Celso (Tottenham), Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool), Thiago Almada (Atlanta United), Bruno Zapelli (Athletico Paranaense)

Forwards: Paulo Dybala (Roma), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Julián Alvarez (Manchester City), Lautaro Martínez (Inter Milan), Facundo Farías (Inter Miami), Lucas Beltrán (Fiorentina), Alejandro Garnacho (Manchester United), Nico González (Fiorentina), Lucas Ocampos (Sevilla)

LAFC’s Brian Rodriguez On Loan to UD Almeria

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Brian Rodriguez is headed across the Atlantic…

The 20-year-old Uruguayan footballer, an LAFC winger and Uruguay international, is set to join Spanish second-division side UD Almeria on a loan, the clubs have announced.

Brian Rodriguez 

The deal will have Rodriguez stay through the conclusion of Almeria’s 2020-21 campaign in May and could become permanent.

“Brian is joining Almeria as they make a strong push for promotion to Spain’s top division,” said LAFC co-president and general manager John Thorrington. “Since his arrival in 2019, Brian has been a focal point of our attack and a huge reason for our success. This move gives him a great opportunity to play important games at the highest levels of European football.”

Rodriguez joined the Major League Soccer side in 2019 from Uruguay side Penarol. In his first two seasons in Los Angeles, Rodriguez scored three goals in 25 appearances.

He has three goals in nine appearances for Uruguay, appearing for La Celeste during their most recent CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying matches.

With 16 games remaining, Almería currently sits in third place in LaLiga 2 standings with a 14-3-5 record (45 points). At the conclusion of the season, the top two teams will earn automatic promotion to Spain’s top division, while a third team earns promotion from a playoff bracket between the teams that finish from 3rd to 6th.