With Lionel Messi possibly missing MLS All-Star, does Wilfried Nancy pick his replacement?
With the MLS-All Star Game at Lower.com Field is fast approaching, there are holes in the original 30-player roster that have to be filled. Two players are already ruled out and Inter Miami star Lionel Messi is expected to be unavailable.
Messi, who officially speaking, is still slated to play in his first MLS All-Star Game on July 24 in Columbus, suffered a ligament injury in his right ankle while playing for Argentina in the Copa America final on Sunday.
While there has been no announcement on Messi's All-Star status, Miami released a statement ruling him out of the team's two games before the All-Star break and saying his availability for future competitions will "be determined by periodic assessments and the progress of his recovery."
If Messi were to miss All-Star Game, he would join Real Salt Lake forward Cristian "Chicho" Arango and FC Cincinnati defender Miles Robinson, who both are already confirmed out. Arango's absence is related to a four-game suspension for violating the MLS Anti-Harassment policy, while Robinson will be away on international duty with the United States men's national team at the Paris Olympics.
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With two, possibly three spots open on the MLS All-Star roster, the focus shifts to the Crew's Wilfried Nancy, who is coaching the All-Star game. In MLS, players who make the All-Star team are either voted in by fans, selected by the coach, or they are a commission's pick. All three of Messi, Arango and Robinson won the fan vote.
"We are in contact with the league to find new players," Nancy said. "We have many good players in the league, so it’s not an issue."
Nancy said the decisions on who will join the All-Star team will be made based on the discussions between him and the league. He joked that, left to his own devices, he would have had all the remaining selections go to Crew players, adding to Columbus' league-leading five players already on the roster, but he also said that it was "not possible" to go that direction.
Replacements for Arango and Robinson are expected to be announced by the end of the week. A possible Messi replacement would be determined after, as is likely, he is ruled out for the game.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 2024 MLS All-Star game: Who will replace Lionel Messi if needed?
