Lionel Messi returns to action with Inter Miami on Wednesday night, on the road against Los Angeles FC for the first of two Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal matches between the MLS clubs.
Messi is expected to play, but Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano was coy on sharing if Messi would start the match or come off the bench, and about how much he would play since the reigning MLS MVP recently returned from an adductor strain in his left leg.
‘We will see. I expect that he will be fit for [Wednesday], and he can play … You will know at the beginning of the game,” Mascherano said during a Tuesday night news conference in Los Angeles, referring to Inter Miami’s starting lineup that will be announced about an hour before they play LAFC.
What time does LAFC vs. Inter Miami match begin tonight?
LAFC and Inter Miami will kickoff at 8:30 p.m. local time in Los Angeles, or 11:30 p.m. ET and 12:30 a.m. Wednesday in Argentina. The game will be played at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.
How to watch LAFC vs. Inter Miami match on TV, live stream?
The match will be available on FS1 in English and ViX in Spanish in the United States.
Will Messi be in Inter Miami’s starting lineup?
Messi’s status will be confirmed when Inter Miami announces its starting lineup about an hour before the match begins.
Messi scores goal in latest return from injury
Messi scored a goal two minutes after coming off the bench for Inter Miami in the second half of the club’s 2-1 win against the Philadelphia Union on Saturday night.
Messi played about 45 minutes in his first match in 13 days at the time. He was diagnosed with a low-grade adductor strain in his left thigh after feeling discomfort in Inter Miami’s match at Atlanta United March 16. Messi did not join Argentina for World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay March 21 and Brazil March 25.
‘The most important thing is that he finished the game against Philadelphia very well… After the game and everything I’ve been able to talk to him about, he was very good, happy to be able to have good feelings,” Mascherano said after the Philly game.
Messi kisses World Cup trophy during event with Patrick Mahomes
Messi and the World Cup trophy reunited with a kiss during an event Sunday night in Los Angeles promoting the 2026 tournament alongside FIFA president Gianni Infantino and fellow adidas athlete Patrick Mahomes, quarterback of the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs.
Messi attends David Beckham’s birthday party in Miami
Messi was joined by his Inter Miami teammates Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and their wives for David Beckham’s 50th birthday party celebration Saturday night in Miami before flying to Los Angeles the next day.
Messi bodyguard banned from Inter Miami sidelines
Popular Inter Miami security guard Yassine Cheuko (known on social media as ‘Messi’s bodyguard’) will no longer roam the sidelines during games, USA TODAY reported Tuesday.
Inter Miami vs. LAFC preview
Under Mascherano, the former Barcelona and Argentine teammate of Messi, Inter Miami has been unbeaten in nine consecutive games to start the 2025 season — not bad for a first time head coach.
Inter Miami is on a seven-game win streak with eight wins and a draw across all competitions. They are first in the MLS Eastern Conference with 13 points in the standings. They reached the Champions Cup quarterfinals by beating Sporting Kansas City and Jamaica Cavalier FC.
LAFC is in the Champions Cup quarterfinal after ousting the Colorado Rapids and Columbus Crew in earlier rounds of the tournament. But LAFC enters the match with four losses in their last five games. LAFC sits in eighth place with nine points in the MLS Western Conference standings.