Inter Miami star Lionel Messi won't play in the MLS All-Star Game set to take place in Columbus Wednesday night at Lower.com Field while he nurses an ankle injury.
The 37-year-old Messi left the July 14 Copa America final win over Colombia with a right ankle injury. His teammate, Luis Suárez, also won't play in the game, with what the team described as “knee discomfort.”
Both were listed among the unavailable players by the league on Monday.
Columbus is hosting the MLS All-Star game for the third time, but the first at Lower.com Field.
A skills competition will be held on Tuesday night at Lower.com Field followed by the all-star game on Wednesday night.
The Crew will be well-represented in the all-star game with five players, the most from any MLS team. Columbus players on the all-star squad include Cucho Hernandez, Diego Rossi, Darlington Nagbe, Steven Moreira and Rudy Camacho. Crew coach Wilfried Nancy is coaching the MLS all-stars.
Messi, an eight-time Ballon d’Or winner from Argentina, has missed Miami's wins over Toronto FC and the Chicago Fire. The team said both players' status for Saturday's Leagues Cup opening match at home against Mexican club Puebla “will be assessed based on their daily recovery process.”
The MLS All-Star Game pits top players from league clubs against players from Mexico's Liga MX.
Miami teammates Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba will play Wednesday night.
Real Salt Lake forward Cristian Arango will also miss the All-Star Game while serving a four-game suspension from Major League Soccer for violating the league’s anti-harassment policy. Arango leads MLS with 17 goals and 11 assists.
Messi and Inter Miami is scheduled to be in Columbus for a regular season match on Oct. 2.
In November, the Crew announced they would ask a minimum of $421 for individual tickets to this game. As of Tuesday, morning resale tickets were listed for as much for $5,000 per ticket. There is no guarantee that Messi will play in this game.