Messi Could Be Getting Rest Of MLS Season Off

Lionel Messi's first season with Inter Miami CF started with a bang (and even got me to pay for one month of Apple TV and the MLS add-on, which is insane) but now it's going out with a whimper.

The Argentinian superstar made an instant impact upon arrival. Even with Inter Miami sitting at the bottom of the standings in the MLS' Eastern Conference, Messi led the team to a Leagues Cup championship.

However, that hole in the standings was too deep for even Messi to dig the team out of it, and it sits second-to-last ahead of only Toronto.

Inter Miami's postseason hopes went up in smoke thanks to a 1-0 loss to Cincinnati on Oct. 7.

So, with the season winding down and playoffs completely out of the picture, Inter Miami head coach Gerardo 'Tata' Martino said that he doesn't want to run any risks playing Messi, or any other players.

"We will evaluate not only Leo, but all players who are with their national teams when they return Thursday, as we are out of the playoffs, and we don’t want to run any risks," Martino said, per Daily Mail.

Is Messi's Debut MLS Season Over?

Messi was always ruled out of Wednesday's match against Charlotte because of national team duties. However, he may not be in the lineup when Inter Miami visits Charlotte on Saturday either.

After that, there are only two matches left in the season.

You can understand why the team wouldn't want to risk anything with Messi, who already battled injury once this season.

"We want to compete and it’s our obligation to finish the season the best we possibly can,'" Martino continued. "In some way we want to improve the image of the team from the last three or four games.

Still, that's a huge disappointment for fans who bout tickets to these last few matches hoping to see Messi play.

Oh well. There's always next year.

Follow on X: @Matt_Reigle