Glory, glory, Inter Miami echoed through the Lower.com Field after Inter Miami won the Supporters Shield. Two goals from Lionel Messi (of course) edged them past their rivals to complete their first major trophy. With the Shield already in the bag, they are going full monty to take home the MLS title. With that in mind, Lionel Messi’s appearance in the game might be doubtful.

The Argentine legend returned to the side after suffering from an ankle injury in the Copa America final. Despite Argentina winning the match, Messi did not appear for the national side and his club for a long time. So, managing him carefully could be critical in their future run of games in the playoffs. Hence, with the game against the New England Revolution coming up, we might not see him make an appearance. Resting him is the top priority, and we agree. Moreover, he might play in Argentina’s World Cup Qualifier against Bolivia and would surely want to rest it out for the next league game.

Notably, New England lies in 14th place and they will visit the Chase Stadium on October 19th, 22:00 UTC. In the team’s last game against Toronto, they rested, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, and Messi with the Shield in their bag. Playing these games against low-ranked teams may not be necessary with the potential risk of injuries coming to the scenario. Especially with Messi having an injury to his ankle, another rolled-up ankle would leave him on the sidelines yet again.

He may come for a brief cameo considering it is the last home game of the season. So yes, there is a 50-50 chance that Messi plays in the game, but we believe he won’t start the match. With one of the unique records in store for Inter Miami, why would he?

Lionel Messi might be rested to pursue a history for Inter Miami

Since the league’s existence, only six teams managed to win both the Shield and the MLS Cup – Los Angeles Galaxy (twice), DC United (twice), Columbus Crew, Los Angeles FC, Sporting Kansas City (known at the time as Kansas City Wizards) and Toronto FC. If Inter Miami could somehow battle through the playoffs, they could do an unprecedented MLS double.

Finishing the league with 71 points got them the Shield. Teams such as Columbus and Cincinnati in the Eastern Conference could potentially pose challenges in the conference finals. But when you look at the Western Conference, there are some potential giant killers. David Beckham’s old soccer club, LA Galaxy, and LAFC could test their mettle.

Significantly, Marco Reus arrived at the Galaxy and galvanized the squad. With Riqui Puig, they have an interesting playmaker who can pick and provide some laser-edged passes in the final third. As for LAFC, they have World Cup winner Hugo Lloris in their squad, and another World Cup winner, Olivier Giroud, can hurt the opposition when needed.

Therefore, Lionel Messi’s appearance in this match remains doubtful. Yet still, he could come in and make a difference to the team in the closing stages.