Miami, FL
Inter Miami makes decision on Lionel Messi’s availability for NYCFC match
New York soccer fans can breathe easy knowing that they should get a chance to see Lionel Messi play at Yankee Stadium on Saturday.
How long he plays is another story.
Inter Miami coach Gerardo Martino told reporters Tuesday that Messi will be available for Wednesday’s game against Atlanta United and the showdown with NYCFC in The Bronx.
But his availability comes with a catch, with Martino adding that the club would be careful not to overexpose Messi on the field and risk any further injury for the star.
Messi only just returned to the Inter Miami lineup over the weekend in a 3-1 win over the Philadelphia Union after being sidelined since July 14 after he suffered a right ankle sprain in the Cop America final.
“Leo is fine, he ended the game well. Tired, obviously,” Martino said about Messi, who played 105 minutes last Saturday, according to ESPN. “It’s the first 90 minutes in a long time, but it ended very well. He is going to travel to both games. He is available but there are three games this week with travel included, so we have to see it day by day.”
Saturday will mark the first time this season that Messi will have competed in an MLS game in the New York metropolitan area.
Inter Miami did visit Red Bull Arena earlier this year, but the Argentinian was with the national team and did not play.
NYCFC missed out on the chance to host Miami with Messi on their squad last year and will get their first chance to benefit from the added attention that comes with one of soccer’s greatest players taking the pitch at Yankee Stadium.
As of Tuesday night, the cheapest ticket to see the afternoon match in The Bronx was $162 on secondary ticket market SeatGeek and $130 on Vivid Seats.
Messi played one of his first games in the MLS last year in the tri-state area when Inter Miami faced the Red Bulls in August.
He didn’t enter the match until the 60th minute, scaring some of the record-setting 26,276 who purchased tickets for the match at Red Bull Arena.
Messi scored late in the game in what was a 2-0 win over the Red Bulls.
With Miami-Dade Superintendent Jose Dotres’ contract ending in February 2027, school board members are now looking to have his replacement by August.
Dotres has served as the superintendent for the third-largest school district since 2022. The school board started the search for his replacement in April.
More than 20 people applied for the position, but now only six have secured spots as semifinalists.
Here’s a closer look at who Miami-Dade’s superintendent might be:
Jose Bueno
With roughly 33 years of experience within Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Bueno currently serves as Dotres’ Chief of Staff.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Bueno’s tasks include coordinating and implementing major projects “that have significant district-wide impact on the goals of the district and involve coordination of other divisions and offices.”
He started as a teacher within the country back in 1993 and is a Florida International University and Nova Southeastern University graduate.
Ernie Lozano
Lozano is currently Broward County’s Public Schools Chief Human Resources Officer.
His passion is creating a safe and secure environment for both students and staff.
“He has been recognized for his contributions to the District’s safety and security initiatives, receiving accolades for his exceptional leadership and commitment to student and staff well-being,” according to a bio on the site for the National Student Safety and Security Conference & Workshop.
Before his career in human resources, Lozano served within education as a teacher, assistant principal and more.
Sylvia Mitchell
Hope builder, executive leadership coach and seasoned superintendent are all descriptions Mitchell has on her LinkedIn.
Living in Houston, Texas, Mitchell is familiar with the Sunshine State since she was a principal at Charter Schools USA in Fort Lauderdale back in 2012.
She has also served as superintendent twice in Texas and is currently Executive Vice President, Curriculum, Design & Development for Per Scholars.
Carlos Perez
Perez is a charter school principal in West Palm Beach and the former executive director of the Education Reform Project, a nonprofit organization based in Miami Beach.
According to the nonprofit, Perez has over 25 years of experience within education, mainly in New York, but now in Florida.
Perez has also been an assistant superintendent in the past, as well as taking part as an Executive Board Member for the New York State Association of School Personnel Administrators.
Christopher Ruszkowski
Currently based in South Carolina as CEO of South Carolina’s Children’s Fund, Ruszkowski has moved all over the country, and Florida will be no exception.
According to his LinkedIn, he served as New Mexico’s Secretary of Education back in 2019. Before living in South Carolina, he was a conservator for the Texas Education Agency. A conservator oversees the state’s takeovers of large school districts and charter school networks.
Getting his master’s at Stanford, Ruszkowski was a Distinguished Policy Fellow at the Hoover Institute located within the university.
Rafael Villalobos
Since 2022, Villalobos has been the South Region Superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Before that, he was a principal for over ten years.
The Nova Southeastern alum has been in Miami for most of his life, even graduating from South Miami Senior High School in 1990.
Miami, FL
I went to 2 famous Miami restaurants, a flashy steakhouse and a Cuban hot spot. Here’s how they compared.
Café La Trova celebrated the city’s Cuban heritage through live music, warm hospitality, and dishes that felt deeply rooted in local culture.
Papi Steak, meanwhile, embraced Miami’s flashy, see-and-be-seen reputation with theatrical presentations, celebrity appeal, and an atmosphere that often felt more like a nightclub than a standard steakhouse.
Despite Papi Steak’s over-the-top reputation, nearly every dish I tried — from the wagyu pastrami to the hamachi crudo — was thoughtfully prepared and tasted just as good as it looked. If you’re looking for an indulgent, special-occasion dinner where the spectacle is part of the fun, it’s easy to understand why the restaurant has become such a phenomenon.
Still, if I could only recommend one restaurant to a first-time visitor, I’d choose Café La Trova.
While Papi Steak offered the more decadent, once-in-a-lifetime meal, Café La Trova delivered a more authentic Miami experience, pairing outstanding food and cocktails with a genuine sense of the city’s history and culture.
Miami, FL
7 more women arrested at southwest Miami-Dade massage parlors, accused of prostitution in undercover sting
Seven more women have been arrested at massage parlors across Miami-Dade, following a wave of arrests in an undercover prostitution sting operation run by the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office.
All seven women appeared in bond court facing prostitution charges as well as running a massage business without a license. The arrests come a day after seven other women were arrested at massage parlors in southwest Miami-Dade. Those locations were closed after the first round of arrests.
According to arrest reports, the women would offer sexual acts to an undercover detective after a massage. They would also charge, according to the reports, prices ranging from $50 to $150.
The women’s ages ranged from 46 to 67 years old:
- Yaoying Lin, 58
- Xiufen Lin, 51
- Yan Xi, 48
- Zixuan Wang, 46
- Mei Hui Lin, 49
- Quirong Xu, 67
- Hongli Ren, 63
Judge Mindy Glazer presided over the bond court appearances. During the proceedings, she referenced charges of “committing a lascivious act and engaging in prostitution,” according to CBS News Miami’s reporting from the courthouse.
Yaoying Lin’s attorney, Paul Petruzzi, persuaded the judge to reduce her charge from a felony to a misdemeanor.
“She’s resided in Miami for many years. Married. And has never failed to appear,” Petruzzi said.
“They had my client held overnight. She was charged with a felony unfairly. To the point where a judge on her own dismissed it. It’s either real bad, bad, bad police work. Or it’s something else. A little bit more nefarious. I’m afraid the latter,” Petruzzi said.
The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office said that they will not be providing any interviews regarding this undercover sting at this time.
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