Will MLS excuse Herons Messi and De Paul from All-Star Game festivities? | OneFootball

Players' World Cup recovery should trump All-Star dollars

Inter Miami's Lionel Messi and Rodrigo De Paul are MLS All-Stars, but it's unclear whether the duo will participate in Major League Soccer's mid-season celebration, despite a league rule dictating a one-match suspension for skipping the festivities. Last year, Messi and Jordi Alba ignored the rule and paid the price -- they were suspended for a match against Eastern Conference powerhouse FC Cincinnati that ended in a scoreless draw.

This year is different; MLS has taken a nearly two-month break during the 2026 World Cup and, while the rest of the league watched, 45 MLS players, representing 17 nations from 22 of the league's 30 teams, competed in the globe's greatest sporting event. It only happens every four years, and it's every player's dream to be a part of it. Messi and De Paul are the only two MLS players still in the competition; if Argentina beats England today, it will play Spain on Sunday to become the first team since Brazil in 1962 to repeat as World Cup champions.

Charlotte coach Dean Smith, manager of the host city's Charlotte FC, is tasked with leading the league's best against a squad of Mexican standouts on July 29, just 10 days after the World Cup's final match. While most of the league has enjoyed a midseason break, Messi and De Paul will have played eight matches, one every 4.25 days, since June 16 -- eight World Cup matches with monumental pressure to produce results in the glare of the global spotlight.

In an interview earlier this week, Smith suggested the Herons' all-stars deserve a break.

“I think there’ll be a standard cut-off period because they’ll obviously want to get rested. We’ll wait and see what happens with that,” Smith told Athlon Sports when asked about Messi and De Paul. The "cut-off date" would ensure players would get a set number of rest days before returning to club duties.

Earlier this month, Sports Business Journal noted that the league has avoided focusing its All-Star Game marketing on its marquee stars to avoid the embarrassment it suffered last year when Messi opted out of the festivities. This could signal a willingness to compromise on the participation policy.

The MLS season resumes Thursday with four matches. Los Garzas' next match is Wednesday, July 22, when they host the Chicago Fire (who recently added former Bayern Munich and Barcelona superstar Robert Lewandowski to its roster); they will play CF Montréal July 25 in Canada.

Don't expect Messi or De Paul to play until Aug. 1, when the Herons host the Columbus Crew, or even Aug. 5, when Inter Miami begins Leagues Cup play against Liga MX side Atlético de San Luis.

I believe the club will risk playing the Columbus match without two of its designated players to ensure they are properly recovered and ready for the rest of the Herons' competitive season. With 9 wins, 4 draws (and just two losses) for 31 points, Inter Miami is second in the Eastern Conference and fourth in the Supporters' Shield race, two points behind Nashville SC. The disappointment of being bounced from the CONCACAF Champions Cup still stings, but Miami still could win three trophies -- Leagues Cup, the Supporters' Shield and a second-straight MLS Cup.

And they need their best players in top form.

Messi, De Paul and the rest of La Albiceleste face England at 2 p.m. CDT today for the opportunity to play Spain on Sunday for what would be Argentina's fourth World Cup championship.