The last two times Nashville SC hosted Inter Miami brought sellout crowds and star-studded atmospheres to Geodis Park in anticipation of watching Nashville face Lionel Messi.
On Saturday, Nashville (6-5-8, 26 points) hosts Inter Miami once again. However, Miami will be without Messi, who’s playing with the Argentina national team in the Copa América.
The Copa América is the premier international competition for South American teams (though teams from outside South America are often invited to participate), taking place every four years. This summer’s Copa América is taking place in the United States from June 20-July 14 and consists of 16 teams: all 10 teams from CONMEBOL, the South American confederation, and six teams from CONCACAF, the North American confederation.
Messi and Argentina are the defending Copa América champions, having defeated hosts Brazil in the final in 2021. Argentina has won its first two games at this summer’s tournament, clinching passage to the quarterfinals thanks to a 2-0 win over Canada in which Messi had two assists and a 1-0 win over Chile.
Argentina plays Peru Saturday night in its final group stage game.
While a majority of soccer leagues around the world have their offseasons during the summer, Major League Soccer’s schedule runs from late February to early December. The league often pauses its season for summer international tournaments such as the Copa América and FIFA World Cup, but is not doing so this year.
Inter Miami (12-3-5, 41 points) sits atop the Eastern Conference. Due to injuries and international competitions, Messi has only appeared in 12 of the team’s 20 games but has still racked up 12 goals and 13 assists.
Nashville has never beaten Inter Miami with Messi in the lineup, drawing three games (including a loss on penalties in the 2023 Leagues Cup Final) and losing two. Messi has five goals and two assists in his five games against NSC.
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Jacob Shames can be reached by email at jshames@gannett.com and on Twitter @Jacob_Shames.