Argentina name a squad without Messi, and Charlotte head to Miami without Saint-Maximin
Argentina named its first squad since Messi retired from international football, and the 28 names carry no Messi; Inter Miami's last matchday opponents Charlotte arrive without suspended winger Allan Saint-Maximin.
The Argentine Football Association named a 28-man squad on Tuesday for the November friendlies, and Lionel Messi is not in it. 1
It is the first Argentina list since Messi retired from international football. 2
His last cap came on 6 October, in a 3-0 win over Benin at the Monumental, with a goal and two assists. 3
He finished with 208 caps, 126 goals and 70 assists, all Argentina records. 3
The squad plays Uruguay at La Bombonera on 13 November, then Costa Rica at the Mario Alberto Kempes stadium in Córdoba on 17 November. 24
Kickoff times for both matches are still unannounced. 5
The 28
| Player | Club |
|---|---|
| Emiliano Martínez | Chelsea |
| Gerónimo Rulli | Manchester City |
| Juan Musso | Atlético Madrid |
| Máximo Perrone | Como |
| Santiago Beltrán | River Plate |
| Exequiel Palacios | Ipswich Town |
| Gonzalo Montiel | River Plate |
| Valentín Barco | Chelsea |
| Agustín Giay | Palmeiras |
| Alexis Mac Allister | Liverpool |
| Aaron Anselmino | Chelsea |
| Enzo Fernández | Manchester City |
| Mariano Troilo | Parma |
| Nicolás Paz | Como |
| Leonardo Balerdi | Roma |
| Matías Soulé | Roma |
| Lisandro Martínez | Manchester United |
| Franco Mastantuono | Fiorentina |
| Facundo Medina | Bayer Leverkusen |
| Giuliano Simeone | Atlético Madrid |
| Nicolás Tagliafico | Lyon |
| Gianluca Prestianni | Benfica |
| Román Vega | Zenit |
| Thiago Almada | River Plate |
| Ezequiel Fernández | Bayer Leverkusen |
| José Manuel López | Palmeiras |
| Santiago Castro | Roma |
| Julián Álvarez | Atlético Madrid |
The turnover sits in midfield. Barco, Perrone, Ezequiel Fernández, Prestianni and Paz are in; De Paul and Lo Celso, fixtures of the squad since Scaloni's first list in 2018, are out. 6
Who is missing
TyC Sports reported that the coaching staff want to hand the midfield to younger players, and that De Paul and Lo Celso trail in that plan. 6
Both also missed the previous window, and returned for the Benin match only because it was Messi's farewell. 6
Three absences are injuries. Lautaro Martínez has a strain in his left thigh and has missed Inter's last five matches. 6
Cristian Romero strained an adductor in Atlético Madrid's match against Espanyol on 17 October. Nicolás González has a calf injury at Juventus. 6
Leandro Paredes and Nahuel Molina are suspended for the incidents after the World Cup final against Spain. Paredes has five matches of the ban left, Molina two. 6
Miami's Saturday
With no international duty this month, Messi's next match is Miami's regular-season finale at home to Charlotte. 7
Inter Miami have 59 points from 33 matches, one more than New England. A win over Charlotte seals second place in the East. 8
Charlotte arrive without Allan Saint-Maximin. He was sent off in the 89th minute against Orlando City on 31 October, and the league fined him on Tuesday for failing to leave the field in time. 9
MLS's own power rankings name him as unavailable for the trip to Miami. 10
Charlotte need a win at Nu Stadium, plus a Chicago slip-up against Columbus, to host the first game of their Round One series. 10
Miami sit third in those rankings, behind Nashville and Vancouver. 10
Messi's shirt tops the league again
MLS published its ten best-selling jerseys for the season, and Messi is first for the fourth year running. 11
Son Heung-min is second, Thomas Müller third, Robert Lewandowski fourth and Antoine Griezmann fifth. 11
Inter Miami place three players in the ten: Messi, Luis Suárez at eighth and Rodrigo De Paul at tenth. 11
The Golden Boot, one round left
Messi has 26 league goals and 16 assists, on MLS's count. 12
Petar Musa of FC Dallas has 22 goals and five assists, with one match to play, at home to Colorado. 1213
Five goals would take Musa to 27 and the award outright. Four would level him with Messi, and assists decide a tie: 16 to 5. 12
What to watch
| Fixture | Kickoff in Shanghai | What it settles |
|---|---|---|
| Charlotte FC at Inter Miami | Sun 8 Nov, 05:00 | Miami's seed: a win seals second 78 |
| New England at Orlando City | Sun 8 Nov, 05:00 | Whether a Miami draw is enough 8 |
| Nashville SC at FC Cincinnati | Sun 8 Nov, 05:00 | The points record: a draw takes Nashville to 75 10 |
| Colorado Rapids at FC Dallas | Sun 8 Nov, 08:00 | Musa's last chance at the Golden Boot 13 |
| Argentina v Uruguay | Fri 13 Nov, time TBC | Scaloni's first XI since Messi retired 5 |
| Argentina v Costa Rica | Tue 17 Nov, time TBC | The second match of the window 5 |
| MLS wild-card round | Wed 18 Nov | Who joins the top seven in Round One 14 |
References
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5Argentina fixtures, ESPN
espn.com
- 6
- 7Inter Miami fixtures, ESPN
espn.com
- 82026 MLS standings, ESPN
espn.com
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12MLS Golden Boot tracker 2026, MLSsoccer.com
mlssoccer.com
- 13FC Dallas fixtures, ESPN
espn.com
- 14
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