BAYAMON, PUERTO RICO – FEBRUARY 26: Lionel Messi of Inter Miami drives the ball during a friendly game between Independiente del Valle and Inter Miami on February 26, 2026 in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. (Photo by Leopoldo Smith/Getty Images)
Leopoldo Smith
Getty Images
Lionel Messi has played in most MLS stadiums since his arrival in the summer of 2023, but never at Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando. The Inter Miami captain missed all three games his team played on the road against Orlando City, but he is expected to make his first appearance there on Sunday night.
The state rivals meet at 7 p.m. in the second game of the MLS season. Messi is healthy, trained with his teammates on Saturday morning, and a team official confirmed he traveled. His teammate and close friend Luis Suarez will miss the game with a lower leg injury. Suarez was at training Saturday, but felt discomfort after the session and was ruled out for the game.
Fans in Orlando will get their first chance to see Inter Miami’s new $15 million forward German “Berte” Berterame, a native of Argentina who became a naturalized Mexican citizen and plays for the Mexican national team.
Berterame, 27, joined Miami from Mexican club Monterrey, where he scored 68 goals in 153 games and is a productive, energetic striker who should partner well with Messi. He met with the media for the first time Friday morning and said he is looking forward to his first Florida derby.
“It’s always a big deal to play in a clasico, no matter where you are,” Berterame said. “What happened in our first game is in the past. The next day after getting back to Miami we turned the page and started focusing on the clasico, and we expect to be ready and at 100 percent.”
He said he chose to sign with Inter Miami because of the chance to play alongside Messi and other high caliber players.
“Leo [Messi], Rodri [De Paul], [Luis] Suarez are elite players who raise the level of all their teammates,” he said. “[Suarez] as a fellow No. 9 will be a great example for me. I have been watching him for so long on T.V., at Barca, and since he got to Miami. He doesn’t cease to surprise. Each training session alongside him I see his best, whether it’s his ball control, his finishing, his patience in the area. I try to take all I can from him.”
MEDELLIN, COLOMBIA – JANUARY 31: Luis Suarez of Inter Miami greets German Berterame as he leaves the field during a friendly match between Atlético Nacional and Inter Miami played at Estadio Atanasio Girardot on January 31, 2026 in Medellin, Colombia. (Photo by Gabriel Aponte/Getty Images) Gabriel Aponte Getty Images
He added that although he is a Mexican citizen, he feels at home among so many Argentine teammates and the coaching staff, which is almost entirely from Argentina.
“They are two different countries, in Monterrey I also had two Argentine teammates and I always feel like an Argentine because I maintain those roots, and now here, there are Argentines around me and I feel at home, but I also feel Mexican around my Mexican teammate. It’s a good feeling.”
It should be an intense match on Sunday as both teams are highly motivated after losing their season openers. Miami lost 3-0 on the road at LAFC in front of a record crowd of 75,000 and Orlando lost 2-1 to the New York Red Bulls.
Miami had little time to sulk as the team traveled to Puerto Rico for a rescheduled friendly match against Ecuadorean team Independiente de Valle, which Miami won 2-1. Most of Miami’s regular starters spent the first half on the bench and played in the second half. Messi scored the game-winning goal on a penalty kick.
The game got chaotic in the final minutes as several pitch invaders ran onto the field attempting to reach Messi. One of them did and knocked the Argentine legend over as a security guard tried to restrain him. Messi got up unharmed and the game resumed.
Sunday’s match against Orlando City has a few intriguing storylines, starting with the rivalry between the clubs.
The cross-state rivals and their fans always step it up a notch when these teams meet. Shortly after Messi’s arrival at Inter Miami, a giant mural of him in downtown Miami was vandalized with purple paint.
Orlando dominated the regular-season series between the teams last year. Miami lost 3-0 at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale (with Messi in the game) and then got routed 4-1 on the road (without Messi, who had a minor hamstring injury).
“Florida is purple! Florida is purple!” Orlando fans chanted during that game. And by the closing minutes, they were taunting Miami with “Na-na-na-na, hey, hey, hey, goodbye.”
Miami got its revenge in the Leagues Cup semifinals.
All the Miami stars played and Messi, returning from injury, electrified the Chase Stadium crowd with a pair of goals in the span of 11 minutes to put Miami ahead late in the game. Telasco Segovia added another in added time for the 3-1 victory.
Messi has six goals and one assist in four career appearances against the Lions.
Two Orlando players to watch are Marco Pasalic, who scored three times against Miami last season and Martín Ojeda, who has two goals and two assists in six games.
Another storyline to watch is the battle of Canadian goalkeepers Dayne St. Clair (Miami) and Maxime Crepeau (Orlando). Teammates on the Canadian national team, both moved to Florida this season. St. Clair, the 2025 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year, came from Minnesota and Crepeau from Portland.
Crepeau tied an Orlando club record in his debut with 11 saves against the Red Bulls.
“We’ve been together for four or five years with the national team, and so we both knew that we were free agents,” Crepeau said. “ We had no clue that we were both landing in the Florida clubs. And so the fact that we can have a bit of spice into that rivalry as well is special. Both of us are looking forward to that game for sure.”
This story was originally published February 28, 2026 at 1:29 PM.
Related Stories from Miami Herald
Miami Herald
Miami Herald sportswriter Michelle Kaufman has covered 14 Olympics, six World Cups, Wimbledon, U.S. Open, NCAA Basketball Tournaments, NBA Playoffs, Super Bowls and has been the soccer writer and University of Miami basketball beat writer for 25 years. She was born in Frederick, Md., and grew up in Miami.