Getty Images

Lionel Messi ruled OUT for third-straight game as Inter Miami face must-win match against NYCFC in hunt for playoff spot

Lionel Messi has been ruled OUT for the third-straight match due to injury, and did not arrive with the Inter Miami team at the stadium, per reports.

Messi ruled OUT
Misses third-straight match
Herons hunting for playoff spot

WHAT HAPPENED? In a near must-win match due to their league positioning standings, Inter Miami will be without Lionel Messi once again. The 36-year-old did not travel to the stadium with the term, per the Miami Herald and is absent from the 18-man roster for the Eastern Conference clash.

THE BIGGER PICTURE: This marks the third-straight match where Messi is absent from the teamsheet, and it was evident the Herons needed their Argentine superstar Wednesday night when they fell to the Houston Dynamo in the U.S. Open Cup final.

The Herons sit in 14th place in the Eastern Conference and need to find a way into ninth by the season's end if they want to partake in the MLS playoffs.

Article continues below

IN A PHOTO:

Getty

WHAT NEXT FOR MESSI? The Argentine has a chance to play when the Herons next take the pitch against the Chicago Fire on Wednesday, October 4.

Sign up here for MLS Season Pass through Apple TV and watch every MLS match, including Lionel Messi's Inter Miami!