FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Lionel Messi wore a walking boot on his injured right ankle, and watched Inter Miami regain first place in the MLS Eastern Conference with a 3-1 victory against Toronto FC on Wednesday night.
Messi sat alongside his wife and children during the match at Inter Miami’s Chase Stadium. He was ruled out of the Toronto match, and won’t play in Inter Miami’s next match Saturday against Chicago as he continues to recover from his Copa America ankle injury.
Messi has a ligament injury, Inter Miami announced on Tuesday, after a full evaluation on the two-time Copa America and World Cup champion. He will be evaluated on a weekly basis, Inter Miami coach Tatar Martino said after the match.
“The club’s medical report is out and the information is that regarding the times, it will surely be evaluated week by week,” Martino said of Messi.
“We are going to see just how his recovery is without taking any kind of risk.”
Messi suffered the injury during Argentina’s 1-0 win in the Copa America final on Sunday against Colombia at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
Messi did not travel with his Argentine teammates back to Argentina to celebrate the Copa America title, staying home to begin his recovery.
A timeline for Messi’s return to injury is indefinite. Inter Miami said Messi’s future availability “will be determined by periodic assessments and the progress of his recovery.”
Highlights: Federico Redondo, Diego Gomez score for Miami
Federico Redondo scored the first two goals of his MLS career in the 53rd and 59th minutes, and Diego Gomez scored in the 43rd minute to fuel Inter Miami’s 3-1 win.
Derrick Etienne Jr. scored in the 80th minute for Toronto, while Inter Miami’s Luis Suarez entered in the 61st minute after his third-place finish with Uruguay during Copa America.
Inter Miami goalie Drake Callender and striker Robert Taylor each played in their 100th match for the franchise in the victory.
Inter Miami retook the lead in the MLS Eastern Conference with 50 points following the win, thanks a 1-0 loss by FC Cincinnati (48 points) to the Chicago Fire.