Lafc Vs Inter Miami: Messi cleared for season opener in Los Angeles
Inter Miami confirmed Lionel Messi will be available for the lafc vs inter miami season opener on Saturday night after recovering from a preseason hamstring strain. The club’s coach said Messi trained with the group all week and other players who traveled will also be available.
Lafc Vs Inter Miami lineup note
Javier Mascherano said on Friday, "Messi is fine; he's been training at the same level as the rest of the team all week. " He added, "He's been doing well and has had very positive feelings. So, he's going away well prepared, just like the rest of the team. " Mascherano later emphasized that "all players who traveled with the team" to California will be available for selection, specifically naming newly signed Designated Player Germán Berterame and now-permanent Inter Miami figure Tadeo Allende.
Messi's hamstring and preseason timeline
Messi suffered a muscle strain in his left hamstring during the preseason game against Barcelona SC on February 7. Though Messi started that friendly, he left the pitch in the 58th minute to watch from the sidelines. Inter Miami subsequently rescheduled the final preseason friendly against Independiente del Valle in Puerto Rico to Feb. 26, instead of the original date of Feb. 13. Messi has returned to training with the rest of the squad since suffering the strain.
Beckham's message to La Familia
David Beckham publicly shared how much he values the Inter Miami supporters on Saturday ahead of the club’s 2026 MLS season opener against LAFC, telling fans that the team is "hungry for more" after winning MLS Cup in 2025. Beckham, one of Inter Miami’s co-owners, said: “As the new MLS season begins, I’m so excited for what’s in store for our club. It was always our dream to be MLS Champions, but we are hungry for more and can’t wait to start our title defence today. ” Supporters are commonly known as La Familia.
LAFC’s star-studded options
LAFC arrive as a star-studded opponent, featuring former Premier League star Son Heung-min, former MLS MVP Denis Bouanga and longtime Portuguese top-flight midfielder Stephen Eustáquio. Mascherano warned of a difficult game, saying, "It's clear, though, that they are two great teams, and of course, given the caliber of their players and what they represent in the league, they are two teams that, on paper, should be contenders. " He added that the ideal game for Inter Miami would involve "controlling the game, having long spells of possession, and preventing Los Angeles from making transitions because they need to get forward quickly. "
Schedule, cups and next fixtures
Inter Miami enters the 2026 campaign as the reigning MLS champions, having lifted the 2025 MLS Cup by defeating the Vancouver Whitecaps. The team will now compete in the Concacaf Champions Cup, Leagues Cup and Campeones Cup in addition to the MLS regular season. Following the season-opening clash against LAFC, Miami looks ahead to three more MLS matches on the road against Orlando City, D. C. United and Charlotte FC, before embarking on their Concacaf journey against either Nashville SC or Canadian Premier League champions Atlético Ottawa in Fort Lauderdale on March 18. While Miami will play away to start their Concacaf Champions Cup journey in March, the second leg of their tie will take place at Chase Stadium.
Rivalry, pundit split and context
It will mark just the fourth time that the two high-spending clubs clash in MLS play since Miami joined the league in 2020, and the match will debut a budding rivalry between Son Heung-min and Miami’s Lionel Messi, the two-time defending MLS MVP. Herculez Gomez and Mau Pedroza are split between Inter Miami and LAFC for the winners of the 2026 MLS Cup. (2: 12) Co-owner Jorge Mas instantly targeted the Concacaf Champions Cup in the moments after MLS commissioner Don Garber awarded MLS Cup in December.
Mascherano and Beckham’s comments, Messi’s return to group training and the arrival of high-profile opponents underline the stakes for both clubs in the lafc vs inter miami opener on Saturday night.
