Messi’s Load Management Shows Perils of Jam-Packed Soccer Calendar

Houston Dynamo fans knew Lionel Messi wouldn’t be there.

The team announced Saturday night that the Argentine superstar didn’t travel to Texas with his Inter Miami squad, and it would give away free tickets for a future game to everyone who still came to the match. The Dynamo still got a sellout of 20,810 fans for their 4–1 loss to Miami on Sunday night.

It was just Miami’s second game of the MLS season, which may seem early to start load-managing a superstar. But its calendar is quite full.

Inter Miami played Feb. 19 and Feb. 25 in the first round of the Concacaf Champions Cup, with the Feb. 22 MLS season opener sandwiched between the two. Messi, 37, played in all of those three matches, though he was subbed out during the second half in Kansas City. That’s three matches in seven days, with Sunday’s win in Houston making four matches in 12 days for the team.

Head coach Javier Mascherano said before Messi’s sit-out announcement that his star player “is fine” and commented on the team’s loaded schedule to start the season. “When we find the right time to rest, we will rest. We will move forward,” he said.

The calendar doesn’t lighten up anytime soon, with Concacaf games on Thursdays and MLS games on Sundays for the next two weeks. In addition to MLS and Concacaf, Inter Miami will also compete in the FIFA Club World Cup and the Leagues Cup this summer.

Load management has been a growing point of contention for players across the globe as tournaments such as the Club World Cup seek to expand their footprint. French star Kylian Mbappé spoke of the downsides of “getting closer to the NBA model, with seasons of 70 games” in January. Last year, the global players’ union FIFPRO and European Leagues filed a complaint arguing FIFA violates EU competition law. The UEFA Champions League and upcoming Club World Cup and World Cup have all added more games, participating teams, or both.

The Miami-Houston match was the second iteration of Apple TV’s new Sunday Night Soccer calendar, an effort to replicate the NFL’s model around Sunday Night Football. The first game featured San Diego FC’s MLS debut. MLS Season Pass runs $14.99 per month or $99 for the seven-month season; Messi came to the United States as part of a landmark deal that included a revenue-sharing agreement with Apple.

His contract with Miami is up after the 2025 season, although the team is opening a new stadium in 2026 and has said they expect Messi, who turns 38 this summer, to continue in South Florida.

Apple and the league have not released the amount of subscribers the new deal has attracted. In an interview with Front Office Sports last month, MLS commissioner Don Garber said he would be happy to announce the subscriber figures, but the streamer wouldn’t permit it.