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Lionel Messi, Javier Mascherano, The RondoGOAL

The Rondo: Does MLS have a Lionel Messi 'load management' problem, with Inter Miami resting their superstar - and disappointing fans - due to a 'congested schedule'?

Lionel Messi made headlines last week when Inter Miami announced that he would not travel to Houston for their Sunday night MLS fixture with the Dynamo. Cue the panic from the soccer world. Social media lost its collective mind. Reddit got all petty.

And then, there were the Dynamo themselves, who released an official statement, acknowledging disappointed fans and giving away free tickets to fans for upcoming games to make amends.

Messi was not injured but was rather held out by Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano due to Miami’s "congested schedule" - in NBA terms, it would be considered "load management." The team had played at midweek and on the weekend for each of the past two weeks, both in MLS and CONCACAF Champions Cup matches. Since joining Inter Miami in July 2023, Messi has occasionally been rested during congested periods of play. 

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It all felt a bit silly, really. After all, it was one athlete, missing one game, for a fairly rational reason. But it does also raise natural questions. Messi probably can't play 40+ games per season and stay fit.

Should fans expect him to - especially opposing fans who want to see the 37-year-old superstar play in their stadium? Is it fair to him? Should the best player to ever do it spend what could be his last season worrying about injury?

And then there are the clubs. The Dynamo won't be the last away team that Messi "cancels" on this season. Do they then owe their fans if he doesn't show, a decision controlled by Miami, not the host club? Should MLS intervene, as the NBA did when load management got out of control and multiple superstars missed games, launching a new Player Participation Policy for the 2023-24 season?

These are all interesting questions, simmering in the background since Messi first came to MLS .

GOAL US writers debate them all in a load management edition of... The Rondo.