Lionel Messi expected to make Inter Miami debut tonight ‼️ | ESPN FC

BIG DAY IN THE WORLD OF FOOTBALL . ARE WE GOING TO SEE LIONEL MESSI ON HIS DEBUT FOR INTER MIAMI IN LEAGUES CUP PLAY AGAINST CRYSTAL AND FOR HOW MANY MINUTES WILL WE SEE HIM? LET’S SEE YOU DEANDRE DEANDRE YEDLIN TALKING ABOUT LIONEL MESSI AHEAD OF THIS CLASH GREAT TO GET HIM ON THE FIELD I KNOW EVERYBODY’S ANXIOUS TO SEE KIND OF SEE HIM TRAIN AND PLAY AND YOU KNOW, I GOT TO SAY, HE’S JUST LIKE HE’S OBVIOUSLY IN MY EYES THE BEST PLAYER EVER. >> BUT SUCH A HUMBLE AND INCREDIBLE DUDE, YOU KNOW, TALKING

TO THE YOUNG PLAYERS, YOU KNOW, I THINK SOME OF US ENGLISH SPEAKERS GOT TO BRUSH UP ON OUR SPANISH A LITTLE BIT BEFORE WE HAVE FULL CONVERSATION WITH HIM. BUT, YOU KNOW, HE TRIES TO TRIES TO GET IT IN THE CONVERSATIONS AND SAME WITH BUSQUETS AND IT’S JUST BEEN A ABSOLUTE, YOU KNOW, WILD RIDE, BUT AN AMAZING RIDE SO FAR. SO HOPEFULLY WE CONTINUE THAT. >> SO HOW MUCH WILL WE SEE IN PLACE THERE? B WHAT’S THE FEELING ABOUT IT? >> YEAH, I DON’T KNOW IF YOU SAW IN THE IN THE SHOT THERE WITH DEANDRE

YEDLIN IN THE BACKGROUND, THEY HAVE THE TEMPORARY STANDS. A VERY SMALL STADIUM ONLY HOLDS ABOUT 18 K SO THEY’RE ADDING SOME, SOME SEATING THERE TO

MAKE IT UP TO ABOUT 22,000. I DON’T THINK IT’LL BE 90 MINUTES. I MEAN, THE GUY HAS PUT IN THREE TRAINING SESSIONS THIS WEEK. HIS FIRST TRAINING WAS ON TUESDAY PLUS THE THREE TRIPS TO THE TRAINING CENTER. LAST WEEK BEFORE HE EVEN SIGNED THE CONTRACT. SO ALL TOLD, MAYBE ABOUT A WEEK’S WORTH OF WORK, BUT PROBABLY 15 MINUTES, 30 MINUTES MAX. REMEMBER IT’S NOT JUST GOING TO BE LIONEL MESSI. WE

EXPECTING TO SEE SERGIO BUSQUETS TONIGHT AS WELL. OBVIOUSLY, THIS GAME IS SOLD OUT. TICKETS GO ON BETWEEN 4 AND $500 BACK ON JUNE 6TH, BEFORE MESSI ANNOUNCED HE WAS COMING TO MIAMI. THOSE TICKETS AND THE BEST TICKETS TO THIS GAME WE’RE GOING FOR ABOUT 30, $40. A HUGE, HUGE OPPORTUNITY HERE FOR INTER MIAMI IN A GAME THEY REALLY HAVE TO WIN BECAUSE THIS IS LEAGUES CUP AND IF THEY DON’T WIN THIS GAME, THE CHANCES OF GETTING OUT OF THE GROUP PHASE IN LEAGUES CUP PRETTY MUCH GO OUT THE WINDOW WHICH MEANS YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE

ANOTHER LEAGUES CUP GAME ON JULY 25TH. AND IF THEY GO OUT BEFORE THE KNOCKOUT ROUNDS, WE’RE GOING TO HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL AUGUST 20TH TO SEE LIONEL MESSI AGAIN. THAT’S WHEN INTER MIAMI WOULD KICK OFF THE SECOND HALF OF THE MLS REGULAR SEASON. >> EXCITED L.A. >> ABOUT SET MESSI OBVIOUSLY YOU MESSI AT MLS. WELL YES OF COURSE. AND WHAT I’M EXCITED TO SEE IS WHAT VERSION OF LIONEL MESSI MORE THAN EXCITING. I’M CURIOUS TO SEE WHAT VERSION OF LIONEL MESSI DO WE SEE? HOW DOES TATA MARTINO STRUCTURE THE TEAM AROUND LIONEL MESSI SO THAT

YOU PROVIDE HIM WITH A PLATFORM TO DO THE THINGS THAT HE DOES BEST ? IF YOU ARE ABLE TO DO THAT WITH A TEAM THAT UP UNTIL THIS POINT HAS BEEN VERY POOR AND INTER MIAMI. SO THEY HAVEN’T PROVEN THAT THEY CAN DO THAT IF SOMEHOW THEY’RE ABLE TO STRUCTURE THIS TEAM THAN IN A WAY IN WHICH THE HE CAN THEN EXPLOIT HIS SKILL SET. AND THIS PLAYERS CAN BENEFIT FROM HIS PRESENCE ON THE FIELD, THEN WE’RE ALL GOING TO ENJOY IT. IF THEY DON’T, NOBODY’S GOING TO ENJOY THIS. NOT INTER MIAMI. THE PLAYERS, NOT

LIONEL MESSI, NOBODY. LIONEL MESSI IS NOT GOING TO GO AND RUN AROUND PEOPLE LIKE HE DID TEN YEARS AGO. HE’S A DIFFERENT PLAYER NOW, SO HE NEEDS PLAYERS AROUND HIM THAT UNDERSTAND WHAT HE WANTS TO DO AND WHEN HE WANTS TO DO IT. THAT’S GOING TO TAKE SOME TIME. BUT THE ONLY WAY THAT YOU DO THAT, NOT ONLY YOU SAID ON THE TRAINING FIELD, MORE IMPORTANTLY IS ACTUALLY ON THE GAME FIELD. SO IT’S IMPORTANT FOR HIM TO GET EVEN IF IT IS 20 MINUTES, IT’S GOING TO BE AN IMPORTANT 20 MINUTES FOR HIM AND FOR

THE PLAYERS AROUND HIM. >> YOU’VE BEEN WATCHING SOME QUESTIONABLE, QUESTIONABLE MOVIES IN THE HOTEL SINCE YOU’VE BEEN GOOD. >> I’M SORRY, WHAT ABOUT THOSE USED TO BE. >> YEAH. >> NO, NO. SO NO. ALL LEGIT STAR OF TRUE SORRY, PRETTY WOMAN FOR WOMAN. >> COME ON. THAT’S TRUE. >> SORRY, THOUGH. >> PRETTY WOMAN. I’M INTRIGUED, THOUGH, TO SEE WHAT HE DOES. >> YEAH, I’M INTERESTED TO KNOW IF YOU’LL BE WATCHING THIS ONE. >> IF I CAN TUNE IN AND FIND IT. I WILL. BUT I’M LIKE ALI. I MEAN, NO, I’M INTRIGUED TO SEE ACTUALLY HOW

HE DOES, BECAUSE I THINK FANS AROUND THE WORLD ARE GOING TO BE THINKING MESSI CAN DO WHAT HE DONE TEN YEARS AGO AND GET THE BALL AND TAKE EVERYONE ON AND SCORE WHERE I’M STRUGGLING TO SEE IF IT’S IF HE’S GOING TO HAVE A MASSIVE IMPACT, HE WILL PLAY WELL. JUST AN AMAZING PLAYER. BUT I THINK ALI’S 100% CORRECT. IT’S CAN THEY SERVICE THIS LIONEL MESSI, YOU THINK, IN THE WORLD CUP THEY HAD RODRIGO DE PAUL. THEY HAD ALVAREZ THAT ALEXIS MCALLISTER AND MANY OTHERS WORKING HARD FOR HIM TO MAKE SURE AND FERNANDEZ AND GET

HIM THE BALL. EXACTLY. SO HOW MANY PLAYERS IN THIS INTER MIAMI TEAM ARE GOING TO BE PREPARED OR GOOD ENOUGH TO WORK HARD OFF THE BALL TO MAKE SURE YOU GET MESSY ON THE BALL AND ALLOW HIM TO GO AND DO HIS THING GOING FORWARD AND ALSO FILL IN POTENTIALLY IF HE GIVES THE BALL AWAY OR THE MOVE BREAKS DOWN AND HOW INTELLIGENT AND HOW