Messi out for defending champions Inter Miami as Leagues Cup begins

Despite being in a walking boot and undergoing treatment with the club's medical staff, Martino mentioned that Messi's ankle is showing signs of improvement.

Last season, Messi joined Inter Miami and guided the team to victory in the inaugural Leagues Cup, a competition that includes MLS and Mexican clubs in a format similar to the World Cup.

The tournament consists of 15 groups of three teams each in the initial stage, with two teams from each group advancing to the knockout rounds, along with the current league champions, Club America and the MLS Columbus Crew.

Yesterday, the opening matches took place, with Orlando defeating Montreal 4-1, DC United prevailing 6-5 on penalties after a 3-3 draw against Atlanta, and 10-man Austin narrowly beating Mexico's Pumas 3-2.

Icelandic midfielder Dagur Thorhallsson, Facundo Torres from Uruguay, and Argentine striker Ramiro Enrique provided Orlando with a 3-0 lead at halftime, with Martin Ojeda from Argentina scoring another goal in the 57th minute. Josef Martinez from Montreal, a Venezuelan midfielder, prevented a shutout loss by scoring in the 69th minute.

Austin goalkeeper Stefan Cleveland saved a penalty shot from Pumas striker Guillermo Martinez in the fourth minute of stoppage time in the second half, securing the win for the Texas club despite Osman Bukari's red card in the 34th minute. Austin was leading 1-0 thanks to Alexander Ring's goal in the eighth minute.

Gyasi Zardes and Sebastian Driussi scored additional goals for Austin, while Martinez and Ali Avila found the back of the net for Pumas, setting up an exciting finish.

DC United's upcoming home game against Santos Laguna, originally scheduled for next Wednesday at Audi Field, has been relocated to Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania, the home stadium of the Philadelphia Union. This decision was made due to concerns regarding the field conditions in Washington.

The Leagues Cup organizers have imposed an undisclosed fine on DC United for the field conditions, with the club announcing that a new grass field will be installed at the stadium on July 31, a change that was initially planned for August 1.