Columbus Crew prepared to face Inter Miami's Lionel Messi
Wilfried Nancy has yet to have the opportunity to coach against an Inter Miami lineup that has included Lionel Messi. Still, the Crew coach has felt the impact that Messi has had on the growth of the MLS.
Ahead of the Crew's game against Inter Miami on Wednesday, Nancy joked about his friends from his home country of France. Nancy said they always ask about how Messi is doing in MLS, despite Nancy being the coach of a different team.
"This is good for the league," Nancy said. "Obviously this is good for everyone. This is a good introduction (to the league). After that, I can talk about what we do here and what we do in MLS.”
Since Messi started playing for Inter Miami in July 2023, the Crew have had two games against the club. Messi was unavailable for both their regular-season game in June and the Leagues Cup round of 16 matchup in August.
Messi was unavailable for the first game due to Argentina's national team training for the Copa America tournament. It was in the final of Copa America that Messi injured his right ankle, which sidelined him for Leagues Cup.
Messi worked his way back from injury, returning the action for Miami on Sept. 14 and is confirmed to have made the trip from Miami to Columbus for the upcoming game.
More: How Columbus Crew remain in race for 1st place vs Inter Miami
The Crew have studied Messi's game throughout the season. When showing the team Messi game tape, Nancy's reasoning for doing so has little to do with scouting for upcoming games.
"He’s been part of my example when I try to teach certain things with my players," Nancy said. "Because he is a player that, yes, obviously, he’s won many things, but what I like about him is he plays with common sense. So when there’s a pass to make, he passes the ball. When it is the moment to dribble, he’s going to do it. And for me, this is rare to see that."
The Crew, specifically their back line, are excited for the challenge.
Defender Steven Moreira, who has matched up against other teams' top players such Denis Bouanga from Los Angeles FC and Luciano Acosta from FC Cincinnati, says he views it as "motivation" when the Crew are competing against big-name players. Fellow defender Rudy Camacho can relate to Moreira in that regard.
"It forces you to be more focused because you know that they don’t need a lot of chances," Camacho said. "They are clinical. So you have to stay in the game, every second. You have to be focused because, like I said, it doesn’t take too much. But, when he touches the ball he can make the difference with an assist or goal. So it’s always special."
With the amount of excitement around Messi being in the lineup on Wednesday, Nancy has also wanted the Crew to keep in mind that there is more to Miami's lineup.
The Crew have split the two games they've played against Miami, losing 2-1 on the road in the regular-season adn winning 3-2 in Leagues Cup. In both games, Columbus had to fight every minute of the game, and proving to the team how strong Miami's lineup is, even without Messi.
"Everybody knows Messi," Nancy said. "We know what he can do, so the idea is to prepare the game like we prepare every game, knowing that there is a player who can make the difference. He is not the only one. ... Everybody knows what he can do individually. This is more about the connection with the other players, because Miami without Messi was still good."
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Lionel Messi in Columbus: Crew prepare to face Inter Miami
