Messi’s mysterious injury has American football fans greatly concerned, as they don’t know when the famous player will be able to play. Coach Mascherano had to speak out to explain.

According to coach Mascherano, the main reason Messi was sidelined for Inter Miami’s last two matches was due to muscle strain. “He’s much healthier now, but there’s no guarantee for the upcoming matches,” the 40-year-old Argentine coach said before the match against Charlotte FC at 3:00 a.m. on March 10 in the third round of the MLS.

Messi continued training normally with his teammates without incident. Coach Mascherano also confirmed that the 37-year-old completed his training sessions as usual, but did not specify whether he will be able to play.

According to Deporte Total USA : “Internal team sources confirmed that Messi is expected to return to the squad for the match between Inter Miami and Charlotte FC. However, it is still unknown how many minutes this famous player will play, or if he will start from the start. Coach Mascherano did not announce the official roster, but left it for close to the start of the match. This is quite new compared to what happened with coach Tata Martino.”

“It’s understandable that Coach Mascherano has to protect Messi, because Inter Miami still has many important matches ahead. Messi was out for almost two months last season due to a muscle strain, which greatly affected the team’s goals in championships like the MLS Cup.

“If Messi plays in the match against Charlotte FC, then the next CONCACAF Champions League second leg against the Cavaliers away (the first leg was won 2-0 by Inter Miami) on March 14, there will be no guarantee that this famous player will be present for the trip to Jamaica to continue playing,” Total Sports USA emphasized.

Meanwhile, Messi is expected to return to Argentina’s national team after Inter Miami’s away match against Atlanta United on March 17, and to play in South American 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay (March 22) and Brazil (March 26).

In addition to Messi’s condition, Inter Miami is also likely to be without several other key players due to injuries, including Maximiliano Falcon, Marcelo Weigandt, Drake Callender, and Robert Taylor. The good news is that Haitian forward Fafa Picault has returned to training after recovering from a muscle injury.

Total Sports USA also revealed that Inter Miami has successfully signed Baltasar Rodríguez from Racing Club of Argentina on loan until December 2025 with the option to buy out starting in 2026. This adds to the current roster’s strength in order to win up to five major tournaments in 2025, including MLS, MLS Cup, CONCACAF Champions Cup, Leagues Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup.