Inter Miami stars did not travel for the game
League rules mandate suspension for non-participation
Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba will not appear in the MLS All-Star Game on Wednesday despite being selected for the event, with both Inter Miami players now in line to be suspended from their club’s next match as a result.
Messi and Alba had been absent from the All-Star festivities this week in Austin, Texas, which culminates in Wednesday night’s friendly match against an equivalent select squad from Mexico’s LigaMX. Alba had been scheduled to take part in Tuesday evening’s All-Star skills challenge, but was withdrawn. No explanation was given for Alba’s withdrawal, and MLS has not commented publicly on Messi and Alba’s absences.
The MLS All-Star game has been around since the league’s inception in 1996, though it has taken multiple forms. It started as a standard East v West format used in other US leagues, but has also seen a single MLS All-Star squad play against well-known teams from around the world (Tottenham, Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus have all been past opponents). In five of the past six seasons, though, the game has pitted MLS’s squad against Liga MX’s.
