Messi’s influence on Argentina’s World Cup qualification

Inter Miami, without Lionel Messi, lost 2-1 at home to Mexico's Monterrey in the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions Cup quarter-final on Wednesday with Argentine Jorge Rodriguez scoring a superb 89th-minute winner.

Miami had taken the lead through defender Tomas Aviles in the 19th minute but the game changed when Inter midfielder David Ruiz was sent off in the 65th minute.

Maximiliano Meza equalized four minutes later and then Jorge Rodriguez grabbed the late winner with a superb curling shot into the far corner.

Monterrey, level atop Mexico's Liga MX, will be strong favorites to advance to the last four of the regional tournament when they host the return game next Wednesday.

Miami will be hoping to have Messi fit for the second leg after he was again forced to sit out due to his hamstring injury.

Messi has missed Miami's past three MLS matches with the right hamstring injury but practiced on Tuesday morning, prompting suggestions he might be healthy for the first time since helping Inter reach the quarter-final by beating Nashville on March 13.

Against arguably the strongest opponents the Florida club have played, Inter coach Gerardo 'Tata' Martino set his team up in a defense-minded 4-5-1 formation with veteran Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez as the lone forward.

It proved to be a prudent approach with Miami's five-man midfield able to frustrate Monterrey and then look to break on the counter.

But the breakthrough came from a corner, whipped in low by Julian Gressel and met with a first time shot from Aviles which whistled home.

The Mexican struggled to break down Miami until Ruiz lashed out with his arm at the head of Meza right in front of the referee, who wasted no time in producing a second yellow card and the inevitable red.

Monterrey made the most of the numerical advantage and it took just four minutes for them to draw level when Sergio Busquets deflected a corner towards his own goal, 'keeper Drake Callender parried out but Meza was on hand to fire home the loose ball.

It was backs against the wall from then for Miami as they tried to hang onto the draw, but as they tired mistakes began to creep in and in the penultimate minute of regulation, Diego Gomez failed to control on the edge of the box, Meza fed Rodriguez and he curled a brilliant shot into the top corner past the diving Callender.

Martino said the dismissal would prove to be a learning moment for the 20-year-old Ruiz, who was handed a starting role due to a several injuries.

"It was a difficult situation for him. He did very well while he was on the field and obviously it is going to be a learning experience for him with the dismissal. For young players these are moments that serve you well as you grow in your career," he said.

Martino, who said Messi remained "game to game" in terms of a return, lamented the absence of several of his squad for such a big game.

"Monterrey was at full strength and we had important absences. The truth is that I liked the way we competed. We did very well," he said.

"We're practically at the beginning of a season, we have been competing for a month and a half... and it was hard for us to hold on physically when we were down a player.

"I can't have a negative view of what happened tonight because we competed well and we had seven players out of the team who give a lot of quality. But to start a season with a competition like this, you need the full squad to compete."

Argentina will miss their captain Lionel Messi for their FIFA friendly against El Salvador today at 6:00 am (Bangladesh time) in Philadelphia.

The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner suffered a hamstring injury during Inter Miami's CONCACAF Champions League game against Nashville SC on March 13. He was substituted in the 50th minute of the match and sat out Miami's next game against D.C. United.

"Lionel Messi will not be in the squad for the friendlies in the U.S. due to a minor right hamstring injury sustained in the Inter Miami game against Nashville," the AFA said on its official X account.

Argentina will take on Costa Rica next on March 27 in Los Angeles. The friendlies are games through which the reigning world champions can ramp up their preparations for Copa America 2024 in June. 

Roma's Paulo Dybala, who suffered a thigh injury, is another key absentee for the Albiceleste. 

Valentin Barco, Nicolas Valentini and Valentin Carboni are three uncapped players who will be hoping to make their debut for Argentina, while in-form Man United winger Alejandro Garnacho, who has just three caps to his name, is in contention to start in attack in the absence of both Messi and Dybala.

The current world champions Argentina will play against Nigeria and Ivory Coast in their next friendlies in China in March.

The two friendlies will be the last before Lionel Messi and company gear up for the Copa America, to be held in United States in June. 

Through its social media pages, the AFA confirmed the news. 

The Albicelestes' match against Nigeria, one of the iconic rivals in World Cup history, will be at the Olympics Sports Center stadium in Hangzhou, while the duel with the Ivory Coast -- who are currently playing the AFCON -- will be played at the Workers' Stadium in Beijing. The matches will be played between March 18 and 26, according to TyC Sports.

Although the possibility of facing the Chinese team was being considered, the Asians finally dropped out because they will play a match for the Qualifiers towards the 2026 World Cup on that FIFA date against Singapore.
 

Luis Suarez bagged his fifth goal of the season as Inter Miami were held to a 1-1 draw against New York City FC in Major League Soccer on Saturday.

Former Barcelona and Liverpool star Suarez glanced in a Julian Gressel free kick in the 15th minute to fire Miami into the lead at the Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.

But Miami's hopes of securing all three points were thwarted by a dogged New York performance, which got its reward when Costa Rica international Alonso Martinez equalised on 34 minutes.

Miami, thrashed 4-0 against New York Red Bulls in their last outing, created a string of clear chances after the City leveller, but were frustrated by a superb performance from goalkeeper Matthew Freese.

Freese pulled off several fine saves, including a brilliant one-handed block from Suarez in the 80th minute as Miami pressed for an equaliser.

Miami, once again without the injured Lionel Messi, remained in second place in the Eastern Conference following the draw, one point behind leaders Cincinnati.

Miami coach Gerardo Martino -- who had lambasted his team after last week's drubbing by the New York Red Bulls -- praised his side's performance.

"In nine months here, I've never been disappointed in a game like I was last Saturday," Martino said. "Today, what the team did was very commendable. They played well and created many scoring chances."

Martino, meanwhile, said Messi's fitness was still being evaluated as Miami prepare for Wednesday's CONCACAF Champions Cup quarter-final first leg game with Mexican side Monterrey. Messi has not played since suffering a strained hamstring two weeks ago.

"We will evaluate it day by day and make a decision on Tuesday," Martino said. "Wednesday's game is very important but we have to think about the entire year, not just one game."

- Cincy, Columbus held -

Cincinnati preserved their unbeaten start to the season after Aaron-Salem Boupendza jabbed home a 92nd-minute equaliser to snatch a 1-1 draw on the road against Charlotte.

In other games on Saturday, MLS champions Columbus battled to a 2-2 draw with Nashville on the road, Marino Hinestroza's 79th-minute equaliser securing a point for Crew.

Elsewhere, Toronto FC slumped to a 3-1 defeat at home against Sporting Kansas City.

Remi Walter, Jacob Davis and Alenis Vargas scored after half-time to give Kansas City a commanding lead before Jonathan Osorio's late consolation for Toronto.

Elsewhere, two late goals from Colorado Rapids midfielder Djordje Mihailovic secured a dramatic 3-2 victory in a stormy clash with Los Angeles FC.

Los Angeles looked poised to collect a precious three points on the road after goals from Eduard Atesta and David Martinez either side of a Moise Bombito effort for Colorado.

But Mihailovic netted in the 83rd and 89th minute to seal a come-from-behind win for Colorado.

In the early kick off, Hungary international Daniel Gazdag and Argentine forward Julian Carranza were on target as Philadelphia Union ended Minnesota's unbeaten start to the season with a 2-0 win.

Gazdag bundled home a corner from Kai Wagner after 16 minutes to give Union the lead against the Western Conference leaders at Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania.

Minnesota struggled to get into the game thereafter and created little of note against a well-organized Philadelphia lineup.

Quinn Sullivan almost doubled Union's lead on 54 minutes but his acrobatic volley from the edge of the area clipped the top of the cross bar and flew over.

Minnesota's Loons thought they had grabbed an equaliser after South African substitute Bongokuhle Hlongwane tucked away a cool finish after a sweeping counter-attack.

But Tani Oluwaseyi was adjudged offside in the build-up and the goal was disallowed.

Philadelphia then made sure of the points moments later, with Carranza latching on to a headed pass from US international Alejandro Bedoya before calmly slipping his finish past Minnesota goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair.

Sports bosses in China have cancelled two friendly matches featuring world champions Argentina, after their star man Lionel Messi failed to turn out for his club in a Hong Kong exhibition match.

Argentina had announced a tour in China from March 18 to 26, during which it was to face Nigeria in Hangzhou and Ivory Coast in Beijing.

But last week a high-profile friendly between Inter Miami and a select XI in Hong Kong sparked jeers and calls for refunds, after Messi did not take to the field, citing injury.

Some nationalist politicians and outlets have interpreted the no-show in the 4-1 Inter Miami win -- and Messi's subsequent appearance at a similar match in Japan -- as a snub to China, without offering evidence.

"Beijing does not plan, for the moment, to organise the match in which Lionel Messi was to participate," the Beijing Football Association, which oversees football in the capital, said in a press release Saturday.

The Hangzhou match had already been cancelled on Friday evening.

"Given the reasons that everyone knows, according to the competent authorities, the conditions for the event to take place are not met," said the Hangzhou Sports Bureau.

Widely considered the best player of his generation, Messi is a highly marketable sportsman who people around the world will pay top dollar to see, even in the twilight of his trophy-laden career.

Spectators who had paid upwards of 1,000 Hong Kong dollars ($125) to see the 36-year-old in the southern Chinese city chanted "Refund!" when he sat out the match, gave thumbs-down signs and drowned out the team's co-owner David Beckham with jeers as he tried to thank the crowd.

The Hong Kong government demanded an explanation from the match's organisers, Tatler Asia.

Tatler has since promised spectators a 50-percent refund.

Just days after the no-show, however, the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner played 30 minutes of a friendly match in Japan -- causing outrage and accusations that he had singled out China.

Messi has said it was "bad luck" that he could not play and that he hoped to return to the city.

The cancellation of the matches in China is a headache for the Argentine Football Federation, which considers the Asian giant a strategic market.

In June 2023, Argentina played a friendly in Beijing during a visit that resulted in lucrative contracts with local companies.