Seattle Sounders beat Inter Miami 3–0 in the Leagues Cup final, denying Messi and his team a chance to retain its title. It was an exciting match that nearly turned physical, with Messi and De la Vega tangling during the second half.
That was before tempers flared again in a post-match bral that involved the saw Busquets punch a Seatlle player and Suarez spit on a Seattle staff member.
Alan Gordon’s allegation against Lionel Messi
Appearing on the Major League Journeymen podcast, former MLS forward, Alan Gordon said the incident went beyond regular on-field trash talk.
Gordon claims Lionel Messi essentially told De la Vega that he wouldn’t be part of the senior national team as long as Messi had influence in the national team squad.
“Remember when they got into a little scuffle during the game. Messi told him to his face. He basically blackballed him on the field. This happened. That is disgusting to me.”
For Miami, already beaten soundly in a 3–0 final and caught up in a chaotic post-match behaviour from its star player, the suggestion that their captain may have tried to intimidate a fellow Argentine does little to improve how the night will be remembered.
That claim resonated because of who Messi is. His voice counts a lot as a captain and World Cup Champion, regardless of the fact that it is head coach Lionel Scaloni and the Argentine Football Association are ultimately responsible for these call-ups.
The timing makes the accusation hard to ignore. Argentina are playing the World Cup qualifiers and soon the final World Cup team will be called up. That means the breakout role of De la Vega in Seattle in their Leagues Cup victory had him as a chance to maybe get a call up.
Instead, the allegation pulls Messi into an off-field controversy and clouds the sport. It leaves an already ugly final looking even worse.
Related: Is the honeymoon over for Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami squad with MLS fans?