Lionel Messi won't play in MLS All-Star Game. Will he face suspension?
Lionel Messi will skip the festivities for the second straight year. Messi and Inter Miami's Jordi Alba did not travel to Austin, Texas, with MLS releasing an updated All-Star roster before the match.
The 2025 MLS All-Star Game will be played Wednesday, July 23 at 9 p.m. ET (MLS Season Pass on Apple TV), with the MLS All-Stars facing off against standouts from Mexico's LIGA MX at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas.
It's unclear whether Messi or Alba would miss Inter Miami's next match against first-place FC Cincinnati on Saturday, July 26, due to a MLS rule that stipulates players who miss the All-Star Game must sit in their next match. That decision could come later this week.
MLS commissioner Don Garber will address the media during a press conference before the match, where he will likely be asked about Messi's absence.
'Messi has been such an incredible part of the MLS story the last couple of years and playing so well. It's just been a gift to have the best player in the world in Major League Soccer,' MLS commissioner Garber told USA TODAY Sports on Friday, July 11.
Messi, 38, is the reigning MLS MVP and the oldest player named to the MLS All-Star roster. But his considerable workload this season certainly warrants some time off.
Since April 2, Messi has played every minute in 22 of 23 matches for Inter Miami across all competitions – the MLS regular season, the Concacaf Champions Cup tournament and the FIFA Club World Cup. The Argentine World Cup champion has logged well over 2,000 minutes during that span. His last match off was April 30 when Inter Miami lost 4-3 at home to FC Dallas.
Messi has also been dynamic during a recent stretch of matches: He has scored two goals in six of his last seven MLS regular-season games, including a five-game streak to set an MLS record. Messi scored two goals with two assists (one of the hockey variety), in his last match against the New York Red Bulls on July 19.
Jordi Alba, who was also named an All-Star for the second straight season and played in the exhibition last year, has started the last six matches for Inter Miami. He was substituted off in the 85th minute against the Red Bulls.
'The players are called up, I would like them to be able to rest but that is not my decision,' Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano said of Messi and Alba before the Red Bulls match. 'I know how important the All Star [Game] is, and as far as I know there is no decision from the club, everything is as normal.'
Along with Messi's recent scoring stretch, he helped Inter Miami make history at the Club World Cup before being eliminated by Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain in the Round of 16.
Messi's free-kick goal against Portuguese side FC Porto delivered the first win for a North American team against a European club in a major international competition. Inter Miami finished as a runner-up in their group, while LAFC and Seattle Sounders were eliminated before the knockout stage.
Messi and Inter Miami return to regular-season action on Saturday at home against FC Cincinnati, which beat them 3-0 on July 16. After the match, MLS and LIGA MX clubs will begin the 2025 Leagues Cup tournament.
Inter Miami will host Atlas FC on July 30, Club Necaxa on Aug. 2 and Pumas UNAM on Aug. 6 in the first phase of Leagues Cup, which they won in 2023. Messi missed the 2024 MLS All-Star Game in Columbus, Ohio due to his Copa America ankle injury, which caused him to miss two months after the tournament.
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