Playoff Chase: Josef and Tata return to Atlanta; Will Messi play?

Each match is the match of the season for Inter Miami the rest of the way. The Herons are six points behind D.C. United for the ninth and final Eastern Conference playoff berth with just eight MLS matches remaining. ‘Playoff Chase’ looks at the matches affecting Inter Miami’s future and how fans should cheer. Let’s go:

Will Messi play? Who starts, Leonardo or Josef?

This may be the most anticipated lineup announcement of the season. Lionel Messi, the greatest player of this generation and the catalyst for Inter Miami’s 12-match unbeaten streak, was subbed out of an Argentina World Cup qualifier against Ecuador and didn’t even make the roster for a rare-air match in La Paz, Bolivia. The glass-half-full take is that he was merely exhausted and he’ll be fine after getting some rest during the international break. The glass-half-empty pundits note that Lionel Scaloni, Argentina’s coach, originally said Messi asked to be subbed because “he felt something,” and Messi was seen at a medical clinic the next day (although he reportedly seemed fine).

We believe the captain is fine and is ready to dazzle us Saturday, but nobody has specifically addressed Messi’s health.