Inter Miami gives clarity regarding Messi, Suarez and Busquets absence vs Vancouver
- The Vancouver Whitecaps issued a statement late Thursday night
- Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Luis Suarez are not traveling for the match
- A club-record attendance is expected for the match in Canada
By Max Mallow
UPDATE: 5/24, 4:30 p.m. ET - Inter Miami's Gerardo 'Tata' Martino addressed the upcoming absences of Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Luis Suarez for the team's match against Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Martino mentioned that after training, the coaches met and decided the three players wouldn't travel. Martino referenced the upcoming two home games next week as a reason to preserve the players' health.
Sources tell 90min that Jordi Alba has made the trip with the team to Vancouver.
Our story from May 23 discussing Vancouver's statement remains below unedited.
Vancouver Whitecaps FC issued a statement on May 23 that Inter Miami trio Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Luis Suarez will not be traveling for the their match on the weekend.
"“While we haven't received an official update on the availability of Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, and Sergio Busquets for this weekend, we understand they will not make this trip. Unfortunately, we have no control over who plays for our opponent, and it was important for us to communicate to our fans as soon as possible,“ Axel Schuster, Whitecaps FC CEO, said in the statement.
"We always want our best players going up against our opponent's best players, and facing players of the highest pedigree was especially exciting for our team. We know that there will also be a lot of disappointed fans. We remain committed to making this a special experience for everyone. It is still going to be an incredible atmosphere and celebration of soccer for our city. We have amazing fans, we have a good team, and Saturday's match is a very important home game for us."
Whitecaps FC announced that Inter Miami head coach, Gerardo "Tata" Martino, will provide more information during a virtual media conference on Friday.
Fans traveling and attending will obviously be disappointed that the trio won't be playing, The Whitecaps will be selling all in-stadium food and beverages for the match at 50 percent off. As well, all 18 and under attendees will be provided a free kids meal combo.
All three players participated in training on Tuesday, and fans await further information to hear if there is any injury updates. This will be Lionel Messi's seventh game missed, either because of injury or absence.