Luis Suárez sends Inter Miami to playoffs: “We have to keep going” | MLSSoccer.com

Most impressively, the Herons have accomplished all this with Messi absent for nearly three months. Due to international duty and injury, the Argentine GOAT hasn’t played for his club since June 1, missing eight league matches – and Miami won seven of them, crafting a much sturdier collective and plumbing the squad’s lower reaches to gain key contributions from youngsters and role players.

As strong as Messi’s gravitational pull remains, both on and off the pitch, this team has learned how to win without their talisman. It’s a tribute to both Martino’s work and a far more balanced roster, overhauled on the fly by chief soccer officer and sporting director Chris Henderson.

All of this makes Messi’s impending return that much more exciting for IMCF and their supporters – and conversely, ominous for the rest of MLS.

“Leo, like I said the other day, I can’t tell you exactly what time, but he’s already on the field. He is working with his physical therapist, he’s out of the medical ward, he is training with a ball,” said Martino postgame.

“So he has to get back in shape or recover most of his fitness that any player loses when they are out for five or six weeks, and to feel confident that his injury is behind him. But it is something that I believe is not very far from happening.”