With Lionel Messi Out Injured, Inter Miami Tried To Postpone NY Red Bulls Game Upon Request – “Federation Rejected”

We are just hours away from the highly-anticipated clash between NY Red Bulls and Inter Miami. The Red Bull Arena is reportedly sold out for the big clash between the two clubs. However, fans were hit with a wave of disappointment after learning about Lionel Messi‘s absence from the game. The Inter Miami skipper picked up a knock against Nashville and has been out of action since then.

Well, it seems like the New York Red Bulls were well aware of Messi’s importance to the game. In fact, after learning about the Argentine’s absence, the club had sent a request to Inter Miami to postpone the game to some other date. The Heros head coach has opened up about the request from the Red Bulls during his press conference before the game.

Martino stated, “We received a request from NY Red Bulls to postpone this match due to the FIFA date and we agreed, but the federation didn’t approve. It’s something that will have to be considered. The league will have to continue assessing playing through FIFA breaks.” 

Despite multiple players currently on international break, the MLS has made no changes to its fixture schedule, with many teams forced to play their second-string players. With Inter Miami boasting some of the top stars in the league, NY Red Bulls were looking to get the most out of the fixture, but it seems like MLS authorities have no plans of changing their schedule.

Is MLS’s schedule hectic for teams like Lionel Messi-led Inter Miami?

While this seems like a simple answer at first, there are a lot of layers behind the decision. The MLS follows a unique format compared to the rest of the leagues in the world. The premier American soccer league kick starts in February, unlike other soccer leagues that start in August. Similarly, the MLS does not have a break to their league fixtures to accommodate international fixtures with teams usually forced to dig deep and use their bench strength.

READ MORE: Excluded From Argentina’s Squad, Is Lionel Messi Playing Tonight For Inter Miami Vs New York Red Bulls?

This kind of schedule is really difficult for some of the top MLS teams like Inter Miami, who have multiple players unavailable for club games because of national commitments. Add injuries to the already hectic schedule, most teams are forced to operate with just half of their squads. With the league slowly growing bigger than ever, it will be interesting to see if the MLS implements a rule change to their schedules in the coming years.

READ MORE: New York Red Bulls Vs Inter Miami – Expected Lineups, Injury Update on Lionel Messi & Others, Live Streaming, Head-to-Head & How To Watch MLS On TV In USA & Other Countries