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MLS will embark on a new era Friday, although Lionel Messi’s expected debut for Inter Miami will not come in an official league match.

The Argentine superstar instead will guide Inter Miami in a Leagues Cup match against Mexico’s Cruz Azul in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

After Messi revealed earlier this summer he would be continuing his career in Miami, less than a year removed from capturing a World Cup title, his signing became official last Saturday.

The team unveiled him to fans on Sunday night, and he joined his first team training on Tuesday ahead of the first match of a new tournament that is a joint venture between MLS and Liga MX, Mexico’s top flight.

“I can’t wait to start training, start competing,” Messi said during his unveiling. “I’m arriving with the same desire I’ve always had: to compete, to want to win, to want to help the club keep growing.”

All 47 teams from both leagues will be competing during the month-long event as each participating club takes a break from its domestic season.

The top three finishers will qualify for next year’s CONCACAF Champions Cup, with the winner receiving a bye into the round of 16.

In MLS play, Inter Miami currently sit in last place in the Eastern Conference table, 12 points beneath the playoff line with 12 regular-season matches to play. Inter Miami won’t continue their regular-season pursuit until Aug. 20 with a home date against Charlotte FC.

Messi is only the centerpiece of a dramatic summer overhaul by the Herons. They also signed Messi’s former Barcelona teammates Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, as well as Paraguayan 20-year-old prospect Diego Gomez.

Former Barca teammate Andres Iniesta has also been linked with a move to Miami.

“I’m very happy to have chosen to come to this city with my family, to have chosen this project,” Messi said. “And I have no doubts we’re going to enjoy this and we’re going to have a good time and, well, a lot of beautiful things are going to happen.”

Cruz Azul are nine-time champions in Mexico, most recently winning the Liga MX title in the spring 2021 season to end a 23-year title drought. But they’ve lost their first three matches of the current fall “Apertura” campaign and were knocked out in the first round of last spring’s playoffs.

Defender Ignacio Rivero has Cruz Azul’s only goal of the new season.

–Field Level Media