Lionel Messi was not included in the matchday squad for Inter Miami’s home match against FC Dallas in the Major League Soccer at the Chase Stadium on Saturday.

Miami is coming into this league fixture on the back of a 0-2 loss against Vancouver Whitecaps FC in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinals.

In that loss in the Champions Cup semifinal, Messi had played the full duration of the game, which left the Argentine a bit tired.

“Messi ended the game well. Obviously he was fatigued, playing on synthetic grass can make a player even more fatigued due to the floor. But he finished the game well,” Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano told reporters ahead of the MLS clash, according to ESPN.

“Surely there will be changes in the team. Because clearly I think that it’s important to prioritize the next game and to get out of the defeat we need to win,” the coach had added ahead of the Dallas match, hinting at resting key players like Messi ahead of the second leg of the semifinal.

Amongst the absentees in Inter Miami’s matchday squad against FC Dallas are forward Luis Suarez and defender Jordi Alba as well.

Inter Miami faces Vancouver in the reverse fixture on May 1 at 5:30 am IST.