Inter Miami will be without Lionel Messi for at least their next two matches after the soccer superstar suffered an ankle injury in the Copa America final on Sunday while playing with the Argentina national team. 

The MLS club announced Tuesday that Messi had suffered a ligament injury in his right ankle and his “availability will be determined by periodic assessments and the progress of his recovery.” 

Head coach Tata Martino told reporters earlier in the day that Messi, 37, would miss Inter Miami’s match against Toronto FC on Wednesday and their showdown with the Chicago Fire on Sunday. 

Martino indicated that Messi had “twisted” the ankle and that an injury “is present,” the Associated Press reported. 

The Inter Miami coach did not want to speculate about the severity of the injury.

“There will be tests done to determine the severity of the situation,” Martino said. “We are always informed through our kinesiologist Walter Insaurralde, who is also the kinesiologist of the national team.

He said he is very cautious at giving a final diagnosis before results are in. 

Messi, widely referred to as “The GOAT” of the sport, suffered the ankle injury in the 64th minute of Argentina’s 1-0 win over Colombia when he appeared to plant his foot awkwardly and tumbled to the ground. 

He remained down on the pitch for several minutes before limping to the bench, angrily throwing one of his shoes and then burying his face in his hands as he cried. 

Messi looked as though he had escaped injury earlier in the game when he went down chasing a ball and ended up holding his right ankle after a strong challenge from Colombia’s Santiago Arias. 

The 37-year-old, who made the move to MLS last summer, issued his first statement on the matter in a post on Instagram on Monday. 

In the post, he thanked fans who reached out to wish him well, before offering an optimistic update on his injury. 

“I’m fine, thank God, and I hope I can soon be on the field again enjoying what I like to do most,” Messi wrote. 

Messi did not make the trip to Buenos Aires with the rest of the Argentine team to celebrate the Copa America title. 

Inter Miami’s next two games are MLS regular season contests before MLS pauses the season for the All-Star Game next Wednesday and then the Leagues Cup, which includes all LIGA MX and MLS clubs. 

Inter Miami is the defending Leagues Cup champion, and the tournament is viewed as an important event for MLS and its broadcast partner Apple. 

Messi helped drive viewership numbers during last year’s tournament, World Soccer Talk reported.

The regular season will resume for Miami on Aug. 24. 

Martino refused to comment on how Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni used Messi during Copa America, according to the Miami Herald. 

“We were not there in the day-to-day, and it would be out of place for me to talk about that,” Martino said.

On Monday night, the Oklahoma City Thunder were defeated by the Miami Heat 102-73 in the Las Vegas Summer League.

The loss puts OKC at 0-2 in Las Vegas after a solid showing in Salt Lake City’s Summer League event earlier this month.

Despite being trounced by the Heat, the Thunder had multiple young players perform well in Monday’s contest.

Here are three takeaways from Oklahoma City’s most recent Summer League matchup.

For the second consecutive game, rookie guards Ajay Mitchell and Dillon Jones were both bright spots for OKC.

In 24 minutes, Mitchell was the Thunder’s leading scorer, tallying 21 points, five assists, two rebounds, one block and one steal while shooting 8-of-14 from the field. The second round draft pick also went 1-for-1 from 3-point range.

Throughout his time in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas this month, Mitchell has performed well for the Thunder, giving himself an opportunity to be one of the OKC Blue’s top players in the upcoming season. Mitchell will play on a two-way contract and could even earn a few minutes of NBA action this year if he continues to shoot the ball well from the perimeter, control the game as a lead guard and hustle on defense.

While Mitchell’s size prevents him from being an elite defender, the UC Santa Barbara product has been able to make plays and force turnovers so far in the Summer League by playing with constant effort.

Jones has also been one of the Thunder’s top players this summer.

While the Weber State product wasn’t as efficient on Monday night, he still finished with 11 points, six rebounds, three assists and one steal while shooting 4-of-14 from the field and 0-of-6 from beyond the arc.

Even though Jones didn’t have his best performance, he still showcased the versatility that made the first round pick so appealing to Sam Presti.

Aside from Mitchell and Jones, Adam Flagler was one of Oklahoma City’s only other standouts against the Heat.

The second-year guard notched 20 points, three rebounds and two assists in 23 minutes of action, shooting 7-of-16 from the field and 4-of-11 from beyond the arc. Despite just one professional season, Flagler is clearly the veteran of the Thunder’s Summer League team and has played with good command of the game.

After spending the majority of last year with the OKC Blue, Flagler could have a shot at filling OKC’s final roster spot if he continues to play well.

Outside of Mitchell, Jones and Flagler, the rest of Oklahoma City’s roster has struggled in Las Vegas.

Players like Keyontae Johnson, Kylor Kelley, Hunter Maldonado, Cormac Ryan, KJ Williams and Jaden Shackelford all played more than 15 minutes against the Heat on Monday, but still were unable to make big contributions.

Johnson, Maldonado, Williams and Shackelford all spent last year with the Blue, and could return to the Thunder’s G League affiliate for the 2024-25 season.

Want to join the discussion? Like Inside the Thunder on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.

Over the last four seasons, a different Mid-American Conference team has won the league’s championship game each year. Will that trend continue in 2024? Or, will we see one of the league’s recent powers lift the trophy again?

 New Memphis QB Announces Commitment With Rapper Quavo on Instagram Live

The 2023 champions of the league were Chuck Martin’s Miami RedHawks. No team has repeated as MAC champions since the 2011 and 2012 Northern Illinois Huskies.

On FanDuel, the RedHawks are slight favorites to win the conference again, sitting at +240. They sit just above the Toledo Rockets, who are +290. Northern Illinois (+650) and and Bowling Green (+700) round out the top four.

Toledo Secures Top-25 Michigan 2025 Prospect

Miami have won the MAC title game four times in six appearances. In addition to the 2023 title, Miami won the 2019, 2010, and 2003 championship bouts.

Miami’s 2024 campaign begins on August 31 when the RedHawks take a trip to Northwestern.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.