March 7, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Inter Miami CF forward Lionel Messi (10) controls the ball during the second half against DC United at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Sabau-Imagn Image Lionel Messi will try to add another milestone to the long list of achievements in his legendary career when he leads Inter Miami against hosts Charlotte FC on Saturday.
Messi will be aiming for his 900th career goal, joining Cristiano Ronaldo as the only players to achieve this goal.
Messi also plans to continue the momentum of Inter Miami (2-1-0, 6 points) in recent league games and challenge for their third consecutive league win. Charlotte (1-1-1, 4 points) earned its first win of the season by defeating Austin 3-1 last Saturday.
Messi and his teammates failed to score in their most recent match, which ended in a goalless draw with MLS rivals Nashville in the first leg of the round of 16 of the CONCACAF Champions Cup on Wednesday.
A bigger concern for the Herrons may be the health of defenseman Maxie Falcon, who left five minutes into Wednesday’s game with a knee injury. It’s unclear how much time the Falcon will miss, but he won’t be available on Saturday.
“We don’t know the extent of Maxi’s injury yet. He will have to undergo tests,” Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano said. “I hope it’s as minor as possible, but to be honest he’s a strong player and for him to leave the game means there’s something wrong with him. We hope he recovers quickly.”
Charlotte’s Pep Biel battled multiple injuries during last season’s MLS playoffs, including knee and hamstring issues, but has looked healthy so far this season and has performed well for the home team.
Biel, who scored 10 goals and 12 assists last season, scored three goals in three league games. Two of those goals came in the win over Austin, where Biel almost scored a hat-trick if not for a handball, which would have made it his third goal.
“I’m very happy to have scored two goals and we’re almost there for the third,” Biel said. “But I’m glad I can help the team.”
Saturday’s game will be the second of five straight home games for Charlotte. That’s because Charlotte will look to accumulate points and move up the Eastern Conference standings early in the season.
–Field level media
