Inter Miami host the LA Galaxy at Chase Stadium on Saturday evening in Matchday 28 of Major League Soccer. With both clubs also eyeing their Leagues Cup quarterfinals next week, the Herons are hopeful for the long-awaited return of Lionel Messi following his recent injury.
Javier Mascherano’s side resumed MLS play last weekend after climbing to the top tier of the Leagues Cup, only to be thrashed 4-1 by Orlando City in the Florida Derby. With Messi sidelined, Miami slipped to sixth place in the Eastern Conference, denting their form at a critical stretch of the season.
The Galaxy, meanwhile, have endured a turbulent 2025 campaign. The defending MLS Cup champions sit at the bottom of the Western Conference with 15 defeats — tied for most in the league with D.C. United and CF Montreal. Still, they recently showed flashes of their potential with an impressive performance that kept their postseason hopes alive.
Despite Galaxy’s poor standing, Mascherano cautioned his players not to underestimate them. “It’s a team whose position in the MLS standings doesn’t reflect the quality they have—especially the quality of their players. Maybe they didn’t start the season well because of injuries and different circumstances, but in recent months they’ve improved a lot as important players have returned,” the Inter Miami coach told reporters Friday.
Messi’s return to the squad list
After suffering a right hamstring injury against Necaxa, Messi missed Miami’s last two games: a 3-1 Leagues Cup win over Pumas UNAM and the heavy 4-1 MLS loss to Orlando City. But the Argentine trained fully on Friday, clearing the way for his return against the Galaxy.
“Leo is doing well; in fact, since Wednesday he’s already been training with the team,” Mascherano said. While declared fit, Messi is expected to start on the bench and see limited minutes in the second half, with the focus on building rhythm ahead of Wednesday’s Leagues Cup showdown against Tigres.
Projected lineup for Inter Miami and LA Galaxy
Inter Miami’s projected lineup (4-2-3-1): Oscar Ustari; Marcelo Weigandt, Tomas Aviles, Maximiliano Falcon, Jordi Alba; Sergio Busquets, Yannick Bright; Tadeo Allende, Rodrigo De Paul, Telasco Segovia; Luis Suarez.
Head coach: Javier Mascherano.
Los Angeles Galaxy’s projected lineup (4-2-3-1): Novak Micovic: Mauricio Cuevas, Carlos Garces, Maya Yoshida, Julian Aude; Edwin Cerrillo, Diego Fagundez; Gabriel Pec, Marco Reus, Joseph Paintsil; Mateus Nascimento.
Head coach: Greg Vanney.