Messi’s ankle is improving, but he won’t play Inter Miami’s next match

Lionel Messi continues to recover from his right ankle ligament injury, but he won’t play in Inter Miami’s Leagues Cup tournament match against LIGA MX club Tigres UANL on Saturday at Houston’s NRG Stadium.
Messi is out of the walking boot he used to begin his recovery, Inter Miami coach Tata Martino said during a news conference Friday. But Messi continues to work with team trainers and has yet to hit the field with his teammates in a practice setting.
Still, it’s a positive Messi injury update since he first suffered the injury during the Copa America final July 14.
Inter Miami’s match against Tigres UANL will determine seeding in the Leagues Cup tournament as both clubs have already clinched a spot in the Round of 32, beating Puebla during the group stage.
Inter Miami will face either MLS counterpart Toronto or LIGA MX side Pachuca in the knockout stage next week. If Inter Miami wins, it will face the Toronto-Pachuca loser. If Inter Miami loses, it will face the winner.
Despite already advancing to the knockout stage, Martino believes Tigres UANL could advance deep in the Leagues Cup, and Saturday’s match will serve as another measuring stick for Inter Miami. The club has won seven of eight matches without Messi since June 1.
“It is one of the most important teams in the [tournament], and it will surely be a nice test for us to see how we are to transcend in this competition,” Martino said of Tigres UANL.
The Inter Miami match against Tigres UANL begins at 8 p.m. ET (9 p.m. in Argentina) and will be live streamed by MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
No, Messi is not expected to play in Inter Miami’s match vs. Tigres UANL during Leagues Cup.
All Leagues Cup games are available to live stream via MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
As of Friday, 19 of 32 teams have already reached the knockout stage – 13 from MLS and six from LIGA MX.
∎MLS: Austin FC, Columbus Crew, D.C. United, FC Cincinnati, Inter Miami CF, LAFC, LA Galaxy, New York City FC, Philadelphia Union, Portland Timbers, Sporting Kansas City, St. Louis City SC, Toronto FC.
∎LIGA MX: Club América, CF Pachuca, FC Juárez, Mazatlán FC, Tigres UANL, Toluca FC.
So far, only five clubs have been eliminated from the tournament
∎MLS: Chicago Fire FC, FC Dallas, New York Red Bulls.
∎LIGA MX: Club Puebla, Club Querétaro.
The round of 32 will be decided after these Leagues Cup games Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
Leagues Cup is a 47-team World Cup-style tournament, featuring MLS teams from the United States and Canada, and LIGA MX clubs from Mexico. Inter Miami won the inaugural Leagues Cup behind Messi last year.