This Lionel Messi bloke has to be on fraud watch.
The Argentine drew a second consecutive blank on Sunday night as Inter Miami returned to winning ways in Los Angeles, beating LAFC 3-1. The Herons were held to their first stalemate of the Messi era on Thursday against Nashville, whom they beat on penalties in the Leagues Cup finals.
While he failed to get on the scoresheet, Messi undoubtedly had his say in Miami's triumph as notched a pair of assists, including one for longtime friend Jordi Alba.
Tata Martino's side still have plenty of work to do if they're to extend their campaign beyond the regular season, but it's hard to envisage any MLS outfit mitigating their unwavering Messi-inspired momentum right now.
Fortunately for the rest of the division, the Herons are going to be without their superstar while he competes with Argentina during the September international break. But how many games will he miss?
When do Inter Miami and Lionel Messi play next?
There's no midweek action for Miami this time around, with their next MLS encounter arriving next Saturday night as they host Sporting KC with the contest kicking off at 19:30 local time (00:30 BST on Sunday morning).
The Kansas-based franchise play in the Western Conference and have endured a sub-par campaign thus far. They sit 11th in the West but are just a couple of points adrift of the final play-off spot. They'll also be heading into their clash with the Herons having won both of their games since returning from the mid-season break.
Saturday night's visitors will also be buoyed by Messi's absence. Martino, who described Miami's win over LAFC as their most impressive of the Messi era so far, has previously said his side will be without their Argentinian great for "at least three" matches in 2023, but he might only miss one game in September.
Messi's Argentina play two World Cup qualifiers against Ecuador and Bolivia this month, with their final game being played on 12 September. Thus, Messi should be back in action when Inter Miami face Atlanta United in MLS on 16 September. However, Martino will be expected to deploy his ace off the bench, as he's done previously.
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This article was originally published on 90min as Lionel Messi and Inter Miami's next game after MLS victory over LAFC.
