'Dog days' of summer will help define Inter Miami's 2026 season | OneFootball

Shorthanded Herons will start getting players back as soon as tonight

The Leagues Cup and a key mid-month match at Major League Soccer leaders Nashville highlight a busy August for Inter Miami CF.

Las Garzas have won six straight matches, the last two despite having eight players listed as unavailable: starters Lionel Messi, Rodrigo De Paul and Gonzalo Luján, and three players expected to play key roles for the Herons, Tadeo Allende, David Ayala, and Maximiliano Falcón .

When the Herons kickoff against Columbus Crew at 6:30 p.m. CDT at Nu Stadium, only Allende and Germán Berterame, who suffered neck and shoulder injuries during an aerial collision in Saturday's 1-0 win at Montréal, will not be available for selection. Sergio Reguilón (hamstring) is listed as questionable, along with Falcón and Luján.

Messi and De Paul returned from World Cup duty Wednesday and could return to their starting roles as soon as tonight.

That's great news for Inter Miami (11-2-4, 37 points), currently second to Nashville (12-2-3, 39 points) in Major League Soccer's Eastern Conference and in the MLS Supporters' Shield race by just two points. Here's the Herons' August schedule:

Aug. 1 -- Columbus Crew (MLS, regular season)

Aug. 5 -- Atlético San Luis (Liga MX, Leagues Cup)

Aug. 8 -- Monterrey (Liga MX, Leagues Cup)

Aug. 12 -- Club León (Liga MX, Leagues Cup)

Aug. 15 -- Nashville SC (MLS, regular season)

Aug. 19 -- at Philadelphia (MLS, regular season)

Aug. 22 -- Toronto FC (MLS, regular season)

Aug. 25-27 -- To be determined (Leagues Cup quarterfinals)

Aug. 29 -- CF Montréal (MLS, regular season)

After failing to advance in the CONCACAF Champions Cup -- Nashville eliminated Inter Miami in March because of the away-goal tiebreaker after the teams tied both home-and-away matches in the Round of 16 -- the Herons will be anxious to do well in the Leagues Cup and, besides seeking revenge for the Champions Cup disappointent, it will be important for the Men in Pink to get a result at Nashville's Geodis Park to help their quest for a second Supporters' Shield and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

How Inter Miami performs this month will set the stage for its stretch run and determine how successful it is 2026.