Lionel Messi will be available for Inter Miami CF’s Sunday clash with the New England Revolution, even after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season in Wednesday’s 2‑2 draw against FC Cincinnati. The Argentine was cautioned in the 44th minute at Nu Stadium, bringing his tally to five for the campaign. He has previously been booked in matches eight, eleven, twenty, thirty‑one and thirty‑three.
Under Major League Soccer’s disciplinary rules, a player can automatically drop one yellow card from his accumulation each time he plays five straight games without receiving another booking, red card or supplemental discipline. The league’s “good behaviour incentive” can be applied up to three times during the regular season. Messi’s five‑game stretch without a card allowed the earlier warning to be erased from the count that would trigger a suspension. The card remains on his record, but it no longer contributes to the threshold for missing a match.
Inter Miami’s head coach, Cristian González, said the team can no longer afford to lose points as they push for a spot in the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup. “We have no margin for error,” González told reporters after the Cincinnati draw. “The frustration we’re feeling must make us stronger, because we can’t afford to drop points. We need to step up, take risks, be bold, and play without fear of making mistakes.” The club currently sits third in the Eastern Conference, just two points behind the Revolution.
Both clubs have already secured berths in the MLS playoffs, but the result of Sunday’s match will determine who claims the second automatic Champions Cup spot from the Eastern Conference. The league awards Champions Cup berths to the MLS Cup winner, the Leagues Cup champion, the U.S. Open Cup winner, the Supporters’ Shield holder, and the Eastern and Western Conference champions. With Nashville already having claimed the Shield, the second‑place team in the East will receive one of the remaining spots, making this penultimate game of the season pivotal for both Miami and New England.