INTERludes: Ustari gets Team of the Matchday nod, Messi still hopes to play in 2026 World Cup | OneFootball

Veteran keeper Óscar Ustari earns first MLS Team of the Matchday nod

Óscar Ustari was the brightest spot for Inter Miami in an otherwise lackluster scoreless draw Sunday in front of more than 62,000 fans at Chicago's Soldier Field. The 38-year-old Argentine became the Herons' starting goalkeeper in the preseason when three-year starter Drake Callender was recovering from a groin injury; his poise and instincts have shown several times this season that Callender will have to work hard to reclaim the keeper's role.

Ustari, good friend of Inter Miami, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Argentina icon Lionel Messi, had seven saves Sunday -- including stops on dangerous chances from Chicago Fire forward Jonathan Bamba in the 88th and 90th minutes -- to seal the shutout and secure a point for the Herons. His efforts earned his first selection to Major League Soccer's Team of the Matchday as a substitute.

Argentina teammates Lionel Messi and Oscar Ustari share a joke in this undated photo. | JUAN MABROMATA/GettyImages

Surprise?: Teammate says Messi wants to play in the World Cup

In December 2022, Lionel Messi led Argentina to its third World Cup after failing in four previous attempts. He was the tournament's top scorer and its most valuable player, and the accomplishment helped him win his eighth Ballon D'Or as Europe's best footballer.

By lifting the trophy, among the most coveted in all of sports, Messi symbolically lifted himself to the pinnacle of the game. The unassuming everyman became widely accepted as the greatest footballer of this or any other generation.

But his career didn't end with the World Cup in Qatar; the No. 10 still is producing prolific numbers in Major League Soccer, helping Inter Miami CF win the 2023 Leagues Cup (a tournament between top division teams from the United States and Mexico) and the 2024 Supporters Shield (presented to the team with the best regular-season record; the Herons set a new MLS record with 74 points).

So why wouldn't Messi want to test himself next year in what would be his sixth World Cup?

In 2022, Messi was 35; when the 2026 World Cup starts June 11 next year, he'll be less than two weeks from his 39th birthday. But, according to his close friend, Inter Miami teammate and former Barcelona teammate Luis Suarez, Messi still hopes to play.

According to Deadspin.com, Suarez commented on Messi's World Cup ambitions in an interview with El Pais, a newspaper published in Madrid, Spain, when asked about retirement plans.

"No, we do talk (about retirement). Jokingly, many times, but (Messi) also has that desire to play in next year's World Cup," said Suarez, 38, of Uruguay. "Obviously, after being away from the national team for a while, that desire is fading more on my side than on his, but we haven't talked about (retirement) yet."

But Suarez emphasized that Messi hasn't confirmed he will play in the 2026 event.

"No, no, no, I don't ask him either ... I know what he is like and I don't ask him anything regarding that. Time will tell," Suarez said.

Another friend and former Barcelona and La Albiceleste teammate, Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano, said he doesn't know Messi's plans but, according to Goal.com, he shared his opinion.

"The physical side and the legs, I have no doubt about it. The mindset, too. But those are personal decisions. It’s his decision whether he'll play in the World Cup or not," Mascherano reportedly said. "I don't have to give my opinion. I can't tell you because I'm not inside his head. What I can tell you as an Argentine, I clearly want him to play."

Messi made his World Cup debut as an 18-year-old in 2006 and also competed in the global competition in 2010, 2014 and 2018 before lifting the trophy in 2022.