Lionel Messi did not travel with his Inter Miami teammates to Texas to face the Houston Dynamo at Shell Energy Stadium on Sunday night, a source confirmed to ESPN.
New Miami head coach Javier Mascherano made the decision to rest the star forward due to the team’s packed schedule. Inter Miami played three games in the span of 10 days, kicking off the 2025 campaign with the two-legged Concacaf Champions Cup series against Sporting Kansas City and the MLS opener versus New York City FC.
A club source confirmed Messi is not injured, and projected to play against Jamaican side Cavalier FC in the Concacaf Champions Cup first-leg match on Thursday at Chase Stadium.
In a statement later on Saturday, Houston said fans who attended Sunday’s game would be offered a complimentary ticket to another match.
“The Houston Dynamo are excited to host Inter Miami CF at Shell Energy Stadium on Sunday evening,” the statement read. “The recently shared player status report for the match did not include forward Lionel Messi, but it has been reported he did not make the trip to Houston. Unfortunately, we have no control over who plays for our opponent.
“We look forward to hosting everyone tomorrow for what will be an incredible atmosphere and celebration of soccer for the city of Houston. To show our appreciation, fans who attend tomorrow night’s match can claim a complimentary ticket to a future Dynamo match this season. Additional details will be provided early next week.”
Messi’s absence from the trip was first reported by the Miami Herald.
The news comes after Mascherano said Friday that the 37-year-old trained with teammates and would be available for selection this weekend.
“Leo is fine, he is normal and he will train normally like all his teammates,” Mascherano said.
The coach did go on to reveal he would rest the player when the time was right, given the heavy schedule throughout the 2025 season.
“Look, there are not two equal situations. And we have to put everything in context. We played in a knockout round. We started the season in Kansas, where the Champions League is an important competition for us,” Mascherano said.
“We also had the start of the MLS between the two games of the series. It is one of the competitions where we aim to compete and reach the highest possible. When we talk about being able to rotate or dose the players, we must see the context. The context is that we had to play three games in six days.
“We didn’t have the rest that we had to have before, because we were changed on the first match date. It is what it is, we adapt to the circumstances. We couldn’t modify anything. We asked to modify it and we couldn’t. Beyond that, obviously we have to try to take care of the players. When we find the right time to rest, we will rest. We will move forward.”
Inter Miami visits the Dynamo for the second match day of the 2025 MLS season. The team currently boasts two wins and one draw under Mascherano
