Wednesday brought good news to Inter Miami and Jamaican Lionel Messi lovers. Coach Javier Mascherano says the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, who missed the past three games due to muscle exhaustion, will fly to the Caribbean island for Thursday’s Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16 encounter against Cavalier FC. After Thursday’s home match, Inter Miami leads Cavalier 2-0 in the two-leg series.
The aggregate winner faces Los Angeles FC in the quarterfinals. Jamaica shifted Thursday’s game from Cavalier’s 3,000-seat home stadium to the 30,000-seat National Stadium due to its importance. Since Pelé and Santos played in a 1971 sellout match in the same building, it has been the club’s most high-profile fixture.
In Fort Lauderdale, everyone will watch the game on TV, and in the return leg, we expect a packed stadium and lots of chatter. That inspiration is for the nation, not just our team.” Several youth national team members and other up-and-coming players play for the Cavaliers. They looked confident as they held Miami scoreless at halftime in Fort Lauderdale last Thursday.
