Houston Dynamo head coach Ben Olsen is preparing his players for the threat posed by Lionel Messi, despite the Inter Miami star's injury woes ahead of the US Open Cup final.
As Vice City look to win their second piece of silverware of the season in the US Open Cup showpiece, the absence of Messi would represent a major blow. Understandably, however, Houston manager Olsen is unwilling to take the risk of assuming that the World Cup winner will not feature. Messi's fitness woes have now been ongoing since he was substituted in Argentina's the 1-0 win over Ecuador during the international break. The veteran forward then missed his country's clash with Bolivia before sitting out of Miami's 5-2 loss against Atlanta United.
Fellow key man Jordi Alba has also been nursing a knock of his own and the pair missed outdoors training on Tuesday ahead of the upcoming cup final. Messi was instead spotted speaking on his phone at Miami's training base, while his teammates were put through their paces.The Floridan franchise's manager Gerardo Martino has admitted that his talisman would probably not be risked if it was not a game of such major importance.