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Fans have taken to social media to make their feelings clear about Inter Miami's decision to leave Lionel Messi out of their starting lineup to face New England Revolution. The Herons will invite the Revs to Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida for their MLS clash today (October 19).
Revolution notably reached a record 73 points in the 2021 season, when they lost just five games, drawing seven and winning 22. However, this season could see Inter Miami secure 74 points if they can beat the Revs, who currently sit in 14th place in the Eastern Conference.
The Herons have lost just four MLS matches this season, winning 21 and drawing eight. Another win will hand them the record for the most points, but they will aim for this feat with Lionel Messi on the bench.
Rather than conclude their final match of the regular season with the Argentine legend, Miami boss Tata Martino has opted to go for other attackers. Luis Suarez, Robert Taylor, and Julian Gressel will lead the line for the Herons, but fans are not pleased about Messi's absence. They took to social media platform X with posts like these:
"OMG why do u bench messi on a night when history is supposed to be made" a fan demanded.
"No Messi no party," another fan complained.
"Messi doing his Jhon Duran impression tonight 👀" a fan said.
"Tonight something historic can happen and you bench Messi ????????" this fan was not pleased.
"Why is Messi not starting? Nónsense," another claimed.
"Why isn’t Messi starting?" this fan asked.
Tata Martino kept his cards close to his chest about Lionel Messi starting for Inter Miami's final MLS match
Inter Miami boss Tata Martino did not reveal if Lionel Messi would start Inter Miami's match against New England Revolution.
The Argentine manager had spoken about the legendary playmaker in a conversation with the press, ahead of the game, where he explained (via beinSPORTS):
"He will be in the squad; after that, we will define whether he will start or come off the bench. The match tomorrow is important because we have been setting goals; this was a target we hadn't considered at the beginning of the season, but now that it is so close, we will try to achieve it."
"Of course, our attention is on next Friday. Based on that, we analyze what participation we can give to the players who returned from their national teams, including Leo."
Tata Martino eventually decided against starting him, but Lionel Messi is likely to play a part in the match, especially when the second half comes around.
