Atlanta United head coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino has issued a warning to his players about Lionel Messi’s exceptional skills ahead of the upcoming MLS match against Inter Miami on Saturday at Nu Stadium.
“We witnessed his phenomenal performance at the World Cup at the age of 39; everything revolved around him during the matches. No team can completely neutralize him for the entire duration of the game—whether it’s 92, 93, or even 95 minutes,” Martino stated.
“There will always be critical moments. Some matches have several decisive plays, while others, like the game against England, hinge on just one single moment. After that, there’s no way to recover. I’ve reminded the players that even if we dominate for 89 minutes, we could still end up losing the match.”
This match will mark Martino’s first encounter with the Herons since his resignation as Inter Miami’s manager in November 2024, a surprising move he made just days after the team’s exit from the 2024 MLS Cup playoffs, citing “personal reasons.”
Martino joined Inter Miami in June 2023 and successfully guided the team to its first two titles, winning the 2023 Leagues Cup and the 2024 Supporters’ Shield. Under his leadership, Miami also set a league record for the most points in a single season.
He returned to MLS in November 2025 to take charge of Atlanta United for a second time.
Previously, Martino was Atlanta United’s inaugural head coach from 2016 to 2018, leading the team to victory in the 2018 MLS Cup before stepping down to manage the Mexico national team.
Currently, Atlanta United sits in 13th place in the Eastern Conference, having accrued 21 points from 22 matches after a challenging start to the season.