Lionel Messi is set to make his Major League Soccer (MLS) debut this Saturday when Inter Miami visits the New York Red Bulls. The Argentine star will look to improve the teams’ form in the league competition after winning the Leagues Cup and making it to the US Open Cup final.

The team co-owned by David Beckham and Jorge Mas is so far having one of its worst seasons, with just five wins, three draws and 14 losses. The Herons sit at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with 18 points. FC Cincinnati are the leaders with 51 points. 

Before the arrival of Messi, coach Gerardo Martino and the Spaniards Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets, Inter Miami had only won two of its last 13 games. Aside from a win in the US Open Cup, its last MLS victory came  on May 13, when they beat New England 2-1.

Messi has played eight games with Inter Miami, scoring ten goals and winning the Leagues Cup title after beating Nashville on penalties in the process. Last Wednesday, the Herons advanced to the US Open Cup final, after eliminating MLS’ top ranked team FC Cincinnati on penalties.

Making it into the MLS Playoffs will be a challenge, as only the top seven teams in each Conference get through directly, while those placed in eighth and ninth play a Wild Card round. 

With 11 games left, Inter Miami is 20 points behind seventh placed Atlanta United and 14 away from ninth placed Chicago Fire and Montreal Impact. The mission assumes the need for a winning streak without pause until the end.

Things haven’t been much better for its rivals New York Red Bulls, who sit at 11th with 29 points.

The match will be played from 8:30 p.m. Argentina time at the Red Bull Arena in New Jersey. An Apple TV subscription is required to watch it, with a monthly cost of US$7, plus the MLS Season Pass costing US$15 dollars per month or US$99 for the entire season.

— With information from Télam