FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Drake Callender arrived at Inter Miami’s facility on Wednesday unsure whether Lionel Messi would play.
Or at least that’s how Callender tells it. “It was when I walked into the locker room,” Miami’s goalkeeper said when asked how he found out that Messi would miss Wednesday’s U.S. Open Cup final. “I didn't see his jersey up, and I knew he wouldn't be part of the starting squad.”
Which is somewhat hard to believe, but not implausible. Inter has wrapped Messi’s injury in a veil of secrecy. His status has been uncertain entering three of Miami’s last four games, and the club has never actually specified what body part is bothering him.