Following their victory in the Leagues Cup final, Lionel Messi and Inter Miami are now preparing for their upcoming match

Inter Miami's co-owner, Jorge Mas, expressed strong conviction, stating: "There's going to be a before and after Messi in football for this country."

A month into the new era, Lionel Messi proudly raised the franchise's inaugural trophy. With his opening shot of the evening, Messi initiated the scoreline in the Leagues Cup final against Nashville SC, securing his tenth tournament goal and extending his streak of consistent goal-scoring appearances. Following Fafa Picault's equalizing goal, the World Cup-winning captain confidently converted the first penalty in an intense shootout, leading Miami to a narrow victory.

The fervor of Messi-mania firmly envelops North America, evident in the astonishing sales of six months' worth of Messi jerseys by a single online retailer in a mere day. Yet, despite this overwhelming reception, Messi is yet to grace the top tier of competition, Major League Soccer (MLS).

His much-anticipated league debut has been postponed once more as Messi is propelled into the latter stages of another knockout contest. The opportunity for Messi to add another chapter to this new era is approaching.

So, when is the next match for Inter Miami and Lionel Messi?

Arguably, Messi's most subdued performance in an Inter Miami jersey was during the Leagues Cup quarter-final against Charlotte FC. Nevertheless, the Herons secured a dominant 4-0 victory, with Messi still contributing to the scoresheet. Considering this recent encounter, Charlotte might not have been too disheartened by the postponement of their league match against Miami, allowing the Leagues Cup to conclude.

Messi's forthcoming appearance will be an away fixture against Cincinnati for the semi-finals of the US Open Cup. The match is scheduled for Wednesday, August 23rd, at 7:00 PM local time (equivalent to midnight in the UK on Thursday, August 24th). While Miami sits at the bottom of the Eastern Conference in MLS, Cincinnati leads the division, having only lost two of their initial 23 league matches.

Miami's MLS season began with record-breaking difficulties, but they managed to reach the semi-finals of the nation's oldest cup competition without Messi's contribution. Inter, managed by Phil Neville at the time, nearly faced elimination in the third round against city rivals Miami FC, requiring last-minute equalizers in both regular and extra time to force a penalty shootout.

The cup final, pitting either Houston Dynamo or Real Salt Lake against Inter Miami, is scheduled for September 27th.

So, when will Lionel Messi finally make his MLS debut for Inter Miami?

As Messi was lifted into the air by his new teammates, the echoes of 'Campeones' resonated from the exultant sea of pink jerseys, contrasting with Inter Miami's position in the MLS league table.

Although Messi guided Miami to their inaugural title, the Herons still hold the least impressive record among all MLS teams this season.

A meager 18 points from 22 games will surely see improvement with the inclusion of Messi (as well as Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba) in the lineup. However, the rejuvenated team will not return to league action until they journey to New York for a face-off against the New York Red Bulls on Saturday, August 26th, at 7:30 PM local time (or 12:30 AM BST on August 27th for UK viewers).

Prior to Messi's arrival in South Beach, Miami struggled to make a mark offensively. Only Toronto FC had fewer league goals than the Herons this season. The New York Red Bulls have similarly faced challenges, matching Miami's modest tally of 22 goals. Unlike Miami's coach Tata Martino, Red Bulls manager Troy Lesesne had not been blessed with the opportunity to sign arguably the greatest goal-scorer in the history of the game, until Messi's arrival in the past month.