With Bradley Carnell set to take charge of his first match against Lionel Messi's Inter Miami as the Philadelphia Union coach this coming weekend, reports suggest that the highly anticipated encounter has taken an unexpected twist.
Sunday, 30 March 2025, was set to be a noteworthy occasion for South African football enthusiasts, as Carnell was expected to manage his first game against Messi since taking a new job at the start of 2025
Carnell's only other meeting with Messi was in June 2024 while he was still the coach of ST. Louis City. The match ended in a 3-3 draw, with the FC Barcelona legend also getting on the score-sheet, as per Transfermarkt.
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Now, Philadelphia and Inter Miami will meet immediately after the current international break, with the former heading into the fixture as leaders of the 2025 Major League Soccer regular season.
Impressively, Carnell has guided his side to four wins and one defeat in their first five MLS matches, placing them two points clear at the top of the table with 12 points.
However, much to the disappointment of Philadelphia fans and South African supporters, it is reported that Messi will not feature in the upcoming match due to injury, according to Philadelphia Sports Nation.
The Argentine superstar was recently withdrawn from the national team squad because of the setback, and the report claims he is highly unlikely to recover in time for the game against Philadelphia, which is just under a week away.
The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner will also miss a crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against South American rivals Brazil on Tuesday.
This follows his absence in Argentina's narrow 1-0 win over Uruguay this past weekend.
Prior to his injury, Messi had been in red-hot form this season, scoring four goals and providing two assists in five appearances across all competitions.
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By Lukhanyo Mtuta
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