Lionel Messi is set to start for Inter Miami against CF Montreal, as the Herons look to snap a five-match winless streak without suspended head coach Guillermo Hoyos. Lionel Messi will start for Inter Miami on Saturday when the Herons host CF Montreal at Nu Stadium, with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET. The Argentine captain will be looking to help snap Miami’s rough patch, having gone five matches without a win. The club also deals with the absence of head coach Guillermo Hoyos, who is serving a one-match suspension issued by MLS over repeated violations of the league’s late kickoff policy. Assistants Rafael Perez and Rodrigo Vargas will take charge from the sideline in his place. Miami sit second in the Eastern Conference with 39 points from 21 games (11-6-4), boasting a +9 goal difference, while Montreal sit well down the table in 14th with 21 points and a -10 goal difference across the same number of matches. Messi enters the match with 14 goals this season, and he’ll once again be flanked by Luis Suarez, who has 10 goals of his own, and German Berterame up top, with Rodrigo De Paul pulling the strings from midfield. Tonight at Nu Stadium 🏠⚽️#MIAvMTL pic.twitter.com/JFzRUwFlFs— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) August 29, 2026 Inter Miami’s confirmed lineup Miami will be without Sergio Reguilon and Gonzalo Lujan due to muscle injuries, on top of the continued absences of Mateo Silvetti, Tadeo Allende, Santi Morales and Micael. With Hoyos unavailable, Miami’s interim staff are expected to reshuffle the backline while keeping Messi, Suarez and Berterame together up front. Inter Miami’s confirmed starting XI: St. Clair; Fray, Casemiro, Falcon, Allen; Segovia, Bright, De Paul; Suarez, Messi, Berterame. CF Montreal’s confirmed lineup Montreal will lean heavily on Prince Owusu, who has been the club’s standout attacking threat with 13 goals this season, alongside Matthew Longstaff and Nathan Streit in support. CF Montreal’s confirmed starting XI: Gillier; Petrasso, Vera, Neal, Bugaj; Piette, Synchuk, Longstaff; Herbers, Owusu, Streit.
Cristiano Ronaldo celebrated Al Nassr's win over Al Taawoun with a brief message on social media, as the club kept its perfect start to the Saudi Pro League season alive. Cristiano Ronaldo took to social media to celebrate Al Nassr’s 2-1 win over Al Taawoun, a result that kept the club perfect through four matchdays of the Saudi Pro League season. Posting on Instagram, the forward summed up the victory with a brief five-word message: “Three points. We keep going!” Ronaldo’s post capped a night that also saw him break new ground individually, with his 50th-minute goal moving him past Mohammed Al-Sahlawi as the Saudi Pro League’s all-time leading scorer at 104 goals in the competition. Al Nassr had to work for the win, falling behind early through Bassam Mohammed Alhurayji before Samu Costa leveled deep into first-half stoppage time and Ronaldo’s strike sealed the comeback shortly after the break. The result leaves Al Nassr alone at the top of the table as they continue their pursuit of back-to-back Saudi Pro League titles under Ange Postecoglou. With Ronaldo now focused on both defending his club’s crown and closing in on 1,000 career goals, his short, confident message reflected a squad intent on maintaining its early-season momentum. Ver esta publicación en Instagram Una publicación compartida por Cristiano Ronaldo (@cristiano) What’s next for Al Nassr Al Nassr’s focus now turns to a stretch of high-stakes fixtures in September, starting with a trip to face Al Ittihad on September 5 in one of the league’s marquee clashes. That’s followed by a home match against Abha on September 9 and a trip to Al Khaleej on September 10. After that stretch, Al Nassr open their AFC Champions League Elite campaign away at Al-Ain on September 15. The club then returns to league action at home against Al Diriyah on September 17, rounding out a demanding month as Postecoglou’s side looks to keep pace on multiple fronts.
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