With Messi sitting out again, Suárez and Allende score to lead Inter Miami past Cavalier FC 2-0
Inter Miami forward Tadeo Allende, left, celebrates with midfielder Benjamin Cremaschi, right, after scoring a goal during the second half of a CONCACAF Champions Cup soccer match against Cavalier Thursday, March 6, 2025, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Luis Suárez and Tadeo Allende scored second-half goals with a healthy Lionel Messi on the bench, and Inter Miami beat Jamaican club Cavalier FC 2-0 on Thursday night in the first leg of a CONCACAF Champions Cup group of 16 match.
Messi sat out his second straight game. He didn’t travel with Miami to Houston for a Major League Soccer match against the Dynamo on Sunday night, which Miami won 4-1.
Allende retrieved a pass from Sergio Busquets and beat Cavalier goalkeeper Vino Barclet from 12 yards out in the 61st minute, with his shot landing inside the left post.
Suárez connected in the 83rd minute. He retrieved a ball deflected off Cavalier defender Shamar Watson’s foot and blasted a shot from 20 yards.
An apparent goal by Cavalier forward Shaquille Stein late in the first half was overturned because of an offside infraction after a video review that lasted seven minutes.
The second leg will be on March 13 in Kingston, Jamaica.
First-year Miami coach Javier Mascherano said on Wednesday that Messi, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, participated in the two practices that preceded the match.
But he was not in the lineup that was announced an hour beforehand. Messi watched from a private box.
Cavalier, which won the Jamaican Premier League title last season, advanced to this phase of the Champions Cup after winning the CONCACAF Caribbean Cup in December. The club remains scoreless in the Champions Cup after 2-0 and 4-0 losses against FC Cincinnati last year.
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Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
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Is Lionel Messi Playing vs. Cavalier: Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16
UPDATE: 3/6/25, 6:40 p.m. ET: Lionel Messi was not included in Inter Miami’s squad.
Confirmed Miami Lineup: Ustari; Fray, Falcon, Martinez, Alba; Redondo, Busquets, Cremaschi; Segovia, Allende, Suarez
Inter Miami and head coach Javier Mascherano are seemingly managing Messi’s minutes heavily early this season now missing two games in a row despite no injury.
Lionel Messi’s availability for Inter Miami’s clash with Cavalier in the Concacaf Champions Cup remains up in the air, but not because of injury or suspension.
After scoring in both legs against Sporting Kansas City and starting the Major League Soccer opener against New York City FC, Messi was a surprise exclusion from Miami’s trip to Houston last weekend. Javier Mascherano confirmed before the Houston trip that Messi wasn’t injured and was training with the rest of the team. He was left out for load management as the coach balances the 37-year-old’s minutes early in the season.
Mascherano confirmed ahead of the Concacaf Champions Cup round of 16 that Messi was training with the team and wasn’t injured. Though, there’s the possibility he doesn’t play in the first leg given given there’s a clash with Charlotte FC this weekend. Or, he only plays 45 minutes or so either as a starter or substitute.
Given Miami should be favored to advance past Cavalier after handedly dispatching an MLS counterpart the round prior, it wouldn’t be surprising if Messi was left out of the squad or left on the bench.
Uncertainty around Messi’s availability has created controversy in North America. The Houston Dynamo were the latest team to give fans complimentary tickets after it was reported he wasn’t traveling for their game.
Check back later today when Inter Miami announce their lineup ahead of an 8 p.m. ET kick-off.
Max Mallow is an editor for Sports Illustrated Soccer. Somehow, he has just enough time every matchday to tweet when an Arsenal player scores a goal.
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