Why Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba Aren’t Playing vs. D.C. United

Inter Miami will have a chance to eliminate D.C. United from MLS Cup Playoff contention on Saturday night, but they do so without Lionel Messi or Jordi Alba.

Both former FC Barcelona stars and Designated Players did not make the trip to Washington, D.C. for the Eastern Conference clash, after picking up injuries in recent Leagues Cup matches that kept them away from full training this week.

For Messi, it’s the continuation of a soft-tissue injury in his right leg, which he initially suffered in the Leagues Cup group stage against Necaxa on Aug. 2.

While the 38-year-old was able to return to MLS play last weekend as a substitute against the LA Galaxy, he re-aggravated the injury, despite a performance that saw him score a goal and provide an assist in a 3–1 win over the last-place team in the Western Conference.

Since re-aggravating the injury, Messi has trained away from the group and missed Wednesday’s Leagues Cup quarterfinal match against Liga MX’s Tigres UANL, as Luis Suárez led the Herons to a 2–1 win.

Alba, meanwhile, picked up a knock in the match against Tigres, and did not make the trip to D.C. to focus on recovery.

Despite missing several matches due to injury, Messi leads the MLS Golden Boot race with 19 goals in 19 games, and ranks second in the league for most goal contributions with 27, only trailing San Diego FC’s Anders Dreyer by one.

Miami enter the weekend sitting fifth in the MLS Eastern Conference on 45 points, and could jump up to third with a win, while D.C. would be eliminated from postseason contention with a loss.