Lionel Messi and Inter Miami have a rigorous preseason schedule that involves flying more than 25,000 miles to play seven friendlies in five different countries, but coach Gerardo Martino is certain that Messi and the team can handle it.
Miami’s training will continue this coming weekend. They will only be at their Fort Lauderdale headquarters for a week before leaving to travel to Saudi Arabia, Japan, Hong Kong, El Salvador, and Hong Kong.
Since Messi, Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba, and Sergio Busquets joined the team, friendly matches have become a significant source of revenue for the team.
But the schedule has raised concerns that Miami run the risk of overdoing games and travel before the season starts on February 21.
“We understand the business and sports sides, and we try to satisfy both sides without exceeding one or the other,” Martino told reporters on Thursday.
“We have to balance how much each player participates,” he added.
The pressure is clearly always on Martino to feature Messi as much as possible but the club’s experience last season stands as a warning.
Shortly after Messi’s debut, Miami had a brilliant season, winning the midseason Leagues Cup, but the Argentine and Spanish players soon became injured and eventually burned out.
With Messi missing a large portion of the season in the stands, the club was unable to mount a comeback to qualify for the playoffs.
Busquets believes the team will also need to balance its football and business endeavors.
“It’s looking at the balance of the sporting side and the growth of this club and the revenues that benefit the business side,” he said.
“We will also compete against great teams that will prepare us to be at a high level. When it comes to time changes and long trips, we have to be prepared and physically fit, and that will help us during the season,” he said.
Seven days after returning to training Miami have their first test on January 19 against the El Salvador national team in San Salvador.
The club travels to Saudi Arabia on January 29 to play Al Hilal before facing Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr after playing FC Dallas in Texas.
Miami then travels to Hong Kong to play an All-Star team three days later. On February 4, they fly to Tokyo to play a friendly against Vissel Kobe, a J-League team.
The team’s lone home game of the preseason, against Messi’s childhood team Newell’s Old Boys, is scheduled for February 15.
