Lionel Messi returns to Miami as a substitute against Cincinnati

After starting the match on the bench at DRV PNK Stadium, Messi entered the game as a substitute for Tomas Aviles in the 55th minute with the score tied at 0-0 and Miami chasing a goal to stay in contention for the MLS playoffs.

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The 36-year-old has missed five of Inter Miami’s past six matches, as well as another for Argentina in that time, after aggravating a scar tissue injury in his leg. He has not taken the field since a 37-minute appearance against Toronto FC on September 20, when a leg issue forced him off before halftime.

All the while, Miami continued to describe Messi’s availability as a game-time decision. However, he practiced fully with his Miami teammates on Thursday and Friday, suggesting he is on his way back.

Miami struggled without the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, failing to win three MLS matches and losing the US Open Cup final to the Houston Dynamo.

Messi has 11 goals in 12 matches for Inter Miami. The score is 8-0-4 when he plays; Seven of those matches were on the team’s path to its first title by winning the League Cup, and another was in the US Open Cup semifinals. Inter Miami is 1-3-2 in its six matches without Messi since he joined the club.

Miami’s faltering performance without its talisman has seen it fail to mount an uphill challenge to reach the MLS playoffs.

With three games remaining, including a matchup with Cincinnati, Miami sits in 14th place in the 15-team Eastern Conference, with the top nine teams all reaching the postseason. The South Florida team must overcome a five-point gap with ninth-place Montreal, although it has the advantage of having a game in hand.

Despite ongoing concerns about his fitness, Messi has been called up to the Argentina national team for the World Cup qualifiers against Paraguay on Thursday and Peru on October 17.