Inter Miami stars Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez, who did not travel for Saturday’s MLS match in Vancouver, made use of their free time watching their sons play in a youth game at Chase Stadium on Friday night.

Messi’s son, Thiago, and Suárez’s son, Benjamin, took center stage on their fathers’ home pitch for Inter Miami’s under-12 team against Orlando City U-12

following an opening ceremony to begin the inaugural Inter Miami CF Youth International Cup this weekend.

Messi, Suárez and midfielder Sergio Busquets did not travel for Saturday’s game in Vancouver because the club will play games on Wednesday and Saturday the following week,

Inter Miami coach Tata Martino said Friday.

The jam-packed schedule – Inter Miami will play three games in a week, and in a stretch of six in 21 days – along with making the longest MLS round trip from South Florida to Vancouver,

played into the club’s reasoning to leave the trio behind when they traveled on Thursday night.

The Vancouver Whitecaps FC released a statement to fans, with at least 50,000 people expected to attend Saturday’s game at BC Place.

Sadly, they won’t get to see two of the greatest goal scorers in soccer history in Suárez, who is second in MLS with 11 goals this season, and the dynamic Messi, who is third with 10 goals but first with 12 assists for Inter Miami.

“What the league usually does when there are games where a team has to travel a long distance is either not have a three-week game or to have two games in the same place or in nearby areas. In this case this has not happened, but it is not a complaint,” Martino said during a Zoom press conference.

“We knew this from the beginning of the season. We knew the calendar perfectly well, and at this point we had to take this decision. Obviously, we understand that the players who will not be here are players who have revolutionized, especially Leo, the MLS. But well, we also have an obligation to take care of the health of the team, right?”

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Source: USA Today