Tata Martino explains Inter Miami’s absences of Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba: ‘If they play today, they’re taking a risk’

Argentinian strategist for Inter Miami, Gerardo “Tata” Martino explains the reasons for the absence of 10 men in the squad this Saturday, including Lionel Messi and the Spaniard Jordi Albathey suffered a 5-2 away defeat to Atlanta United.

In the words of Tata Martino, Both started with FIFA dates with Argentina (Messi) and Esparra (Jordan Alba), muscle overloadthere could be bigger consequences if they saw action, so he avoided putting them in danger.

“They all have muscle fatigue. If they come to this game, we risk even more severe consequences. This has nothing to do with the synthetic world,” he said of it.

Another main reason for the absence of the two, especially Messi, was absent from the second round of the 2026 World Cup South American qualifiers against Bolivia, and the team will face the final of the US Open, where they will face Bolivia Team. Facing the Houston Dynamo, they will need their full lineup.

“We have the pursuit of trying to get into the playoffs, but we have games (finals) on the 27th, and sometimes it’s difficult to make decisions. These are also decisive games, but the reality is that there are finals,” Martino added.

Additionally, he talked about the recovery work they will be doing on both men and how they plan to use it in the coming days, whether in the finals against Houston or throughout the rest of the tournament.

“Leo will train with Jordi tomorrow. The rest is free. We will see it day by day. We have no emergency. If he’s fit and confident he can play, but if that doesn’t happen he’ll have to wait a few more days. It was very difficult because the final was a single game and we were there. “It’s very tempting to compete for the title,” he said.

Finally, he reviewed Inter Miami’s options to advance to the MLS playoffs, considering they are seven points behind ninth-place D.C. United, who tentatively hold the final playoff spot with seven games remaining.

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