Not without some suffering… but Inter Miami is getting used to winning matches without Leo Messi, and last night they once again won at Chase Stadium against Charlotte by the narrowest of margins (1-0) thanks to a solitary goal by Allende. This time, Messi was indeed present on the bench. However, Mascherano decided not to give the Argentine any minutes.

Mascherano explains why Messi didn't play

After his absences against Houston Dynamo in MLS and Cavalier in the quarterfinals of the Concachampions, everyone expected Leo Messi to make his return with Inter Miami in the match against Charlotte. However, as Javier Mascherano explained after the match, the red card to Óscar Ustari late in the first half altered their plans.

"In Leo's case, we had planned to give him minutes. But, with one man down, and with the time he's been without playing, we thought the best thing was to preserve him and not take any risks," said Mascherano in the press conference regarding Messi's third consecutive absence, who didn't even warm up and watched the entire match from the bench.

Will Messi return against Cavalier?

Mascherano has repeatedly stated that Messi isn't dealing with any injury. He has simply had some minor discomforts and they've chosen to give him rest to avoid overexerting him so early in the season. A decision that has certainly worked out well for Inter Miami, as they have won all three matches in which Messi wasn't available.

"There’s no better feeling than winning like this. When the team plays well and scores a lot of goals, we’re all happy. But I place a huge value on the effort the players have put in, how they’ve given everything, and especially on the organization we had defensively," Mascherano said. We’ll see, therefore, if Messi makes his return in Jamaica to face Cavalier again.