Even for the walking magician, Lionel Messi was noticeably immobile in the first half of Inter Miami’s 4-0 hammering of Toronto FC. Messi is known for playing the game at his own pace.

After 30 minutes of play on Thursday’s match, with no goals scored, Messi not only halted, which isn’t wholly out of character but also started cautiously stretching his leg while the ball was in play. After 37 minutes, the 36-year-old sidled up to DeAndre Yedlin and removed his captain’s armband before the referee had sounded his whistle. He then hobbled off the field.

Tata Martino had previously been compelled to substitute Robert Taylor for his captain after Jordi Alba, a former Barcelona teammate of Messi’s, joined midway through the MLS season.

However, Martino would likely feel more at ease if this year’s Ballon d’Or favorite returns to fitness rather than relying on an attacker who battled to get off the bench in England’s tenth tier. Taylor scored twice as Miami romped to a 4-0 win in Messi’s absence.

Here is all the information you need to know about Messi’s availability as the US Open Cup final vs Houston Dynamo approaches.

When is the US Open Cup final between Inter Miami and Houston Dynamo?

On September 27 at 20:30 ET or 01:30 on September 28 for viewers in the United Kingdom, Inter Miami will take the field against the Dynamo in the club’s first-ever US Open Cup final.

The championship game will be broadcast wherever you are viewing, and it will be just seven days since Messi couldn’t finish the first half of Miami’s win over Toronto.

This weekend, Miami will visit Orlando City’s Exploria Stadium for the cup final, one of a dizzying six games in 17 days for the young team. The people in charge in South Beach are particularly concerned about Messi’s availability for the upcoming championship because he has a chance to win a second trophy in as many months after winning the Leagues Cup in August.

Will Lionel Messi be able to play in the US Open Cup championship?

In just 44 days, Messi made his first 11 appearances for Inter Miami, scoring 11 goals and dishing out five assists in the process. This is comparable to Liz Truss’ whole term as British prime minister.

Before the strain of the workload had begun to show, Martino had already started to mumble diplomatic platitudes about resting Messi. The World Cup-winning captain of Argentina joined the team in September, but Lionel Scaloni said that weariness prevented him from playing in the qualifier against Bolivia. The identical statement was made by Martino while Messi was advertising a tomato-based pizza in Miami on September 17, the same day his team lost 5-2 to Atlanta United in Georgia.

Martino disclosed that Messi “has an old scar issue” the day after benching him against Toronto.

Martino said, evidently uncomfortable going into too much detail about Messi’s ailment, “It’s bothersome.” “I’m unsure if it hurts. I’m not sure how to explain it because it’s more of a medical issue, but it’s likely that it makes him feel uncomfortable enough that he can’t play freely.

It was stated that Messi and Alba had “no chance” of playing against Orlando City, and Martino emphasized that he would not hurry his best players out of the hospital.

Martino continued, “I understand we have a final. But they will never enter the field if they are not physically prepared to do so.

Messi has the last say in his own fitness, as he amply demonstrated in the first half against Toronto. Messi expertly signaled his substitution when he felt the lingering effects of a previous complaint. After more than 1,000 games played in his career, Messi has frequently had to overcome his agony. It remains to be seen if he will be able to endure the biggest game in Inter Miami’s brief history.