Lionel Messi was not in the starting lineup for Inter Miami's game against Atlanta United on Wednesday night.
Messi started the game on the bench while Herron played the second of three games in as many weeks. Head coach Geraldo Martino has said he does not want to overextend his star player, who is recovering from injury and is currently in the middle of a busy period for the club.
Two other key Miami players, Luis Suarez and Jordi Alba, have also been named as substitutes for the game, which is expected to draw large crowds to the Mercedes-Benz Stadium - mainly to watch Messi. He didn't play a year ago when Inter Miami visited Atlanta to a disappointing crowd of 71,635. But this time he was in a stadium that allowed him to play in the second half. Messi, 37, returned to Miami after a long absence on Saturday, scoring two goals and assisting a third as the Heat beat Philadelphia United 3-1.
Miami has the best record in MLS and is looking to maintain home court advantage throughout the playoffs. The Argentine star and eight-time Ballon d'Or winner for Miami Inter has not played since June 1 after suffering a right ankle injury on July 14 in the 1-0 Copa America final win over Colombia.
"I'm a little tired because of the heat and humidity in Miami, but I really want to come back after being away for so long," Messi said in Spanish after the match. "I started training with the team and I started to feel better."
Messi scored twice in four minutes midway through the first half to overturn Philadelphia's earlier goal.
In second-half stoppage time, Suarez assisted Messi and scored, capping the win with an assist from Messi. This is Suarez's 17th goal of the season.
Despite only playing 13 games, Messi already has 14 goals and 14 assists in the league as of Wednesday.
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