Lionel Messi will not play in Inter Miami’s league home match against FC Dallas on Sunday. The Argentine star winger was not in the starting lineup or among the reserves when the club released its roster before the match.

Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano is well aware that his star-studded team, led by Lionel Messi, finds itself in a seemingly insurmountable situation heading into the second leg of the Champions Cup semifinal against the Vancouver Whitecaps on Wednesday night.

It was the stars and big names of Inter Miami against the blue collar mentality of Vancouver. Miami has Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba. Mascherano himself is a name that still resonates loudly in the football world. The Whitecaps’ star? American center forward Brian White, as unheralded a hero as they come.