(Photo credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)

For the second straight year, a hamstring injury is likely to keep Lionel Messi on the sidelines for Inter Miami's visit Saturday night to Washington to face D.C. United.

After missing two matches early this month, Messi returned last weekend in a substitute role, scoring the go-ahead goal and assisting on another tally in a 3-1 win at home over the Los Angeles Galaxy.

But Wednesday in Miami's 2-1 Leagues Cup quarterfinal victory over Tigres UANL, Messi watched from the on-field suites, nursing his reinjured hamstring.

Messi's injury is another disappointment for fans in D.C. who were denied a chance to see the Argentine superstar in March 2024, also because of a hamstring injury.

Despite missing five matches, Messi leads the MSL in goals with 19 to go along with his 10 assists.

With Messi sidelined, Miami (13-5-6, 45 points) will depend on Luis Suarez (six goals, 11 assists), who scored both of the goals on Wednesday, to fuel an offense that's produced 53 goals, tied for the most in MLS.

After scoring 20 goals last season, Suarez has struggled this year.

'I don't understand how people can criticize him, because the amount of work that he does for the team is insane,' Miami's Yannick Bright said. 'It's still Luis Suarez. It's still one of the greatest strikers of all time.'

On Saturday, D.C. United (4-15-8, 20 points) will play their second match under new coach Rene Weiler. In his debut last weekend, D.C. played CF Montreal to a 1-1 draw. The teams are tied at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.

'It was a good game. We deserved at least that one point,' said Weiler, who has a difficult task as Saturday's match opens a string of six straight against teams with winning records.

The draw extended D.C.'s streak without a win to 10 matches (0-8-2). The team has surrendered more goals (52) than any team in the Eastern Conference and scored fewer (23) than any team in the MLS.

D.C. will look for a spark from its top threats Christian Benteke (eight goals) and Gabriel Pirani (four goals, three assists).

--Field Level Media