Lionel Messi was limited to a second-half substitute appearance as Inter Miami drew 2-2 with Atlanta United on Wednesday night.
In the second of three games played by Los Garzas in a week, Messi started the match on the bench. Coach Gerardo Martino had said he did not want to overwork his star player, who is returning from injury with the club in the midst of an intense period.
To the delight of many of the 67,795 fans in attendance at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Messi entered the field to join the action in the 61st minute, replacing Julian Gressel.
Just two minutes earlier, Miami had regained the lead on a deflected shot from Leonardo Campana, shortly after Atlanta's Saba Lobjanidze had cancelled out David Ruiz's opener for the visitors from South Florida.
Messi had a shot saved with a chance to extend his side's lead, but a spectacular late equaliser from Atlanta's Russian international Aleksei Miranchuk meant Miami's five-game MLS winning streak came to an end.
“Messi always looks good and tonight was no exception,” Miami assistant coach Javier Morales said after the game.
“He played for almost 30 minutes, during which he was active. He had scoring opportunities, so, as always, his performance was positive for the team.”
Martino made several changes to his lineup for the midweek game in Atlanta, with Luis Suarez and Jordi Alba joining Messi in starting from the bench before coming on in the second half.
“We have three games this week and several players suspended, so for this game Tata Martino and the coaching staff thought this was the perfect team to face Atlanta. I thought it was a good decision, since we almost took the three points,” added Morales.
Miami remains the best-record player in Major League Soccer and will look to secure the Supporters' Shield and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Messi, 37, made a fascinating return to the Miami lineup on Saturday after a lengthy absence, scoring two goals and assisting on the third in a 3-1 win over the Philadelphia Union.
He did not play last year when Inter Miami visited Atlanta, disappointing a crowd of 71,635.
The Argentine star and eight-time Ballon d'Or winner had not played for Inter Miami since June 1 due to commitments with the national team and a right ankle injury suffered in the 1-0 victory over Colombia in the Copa America final on July 14.
Messi has 14 goals and 14 assists in La Liga, despite having played only 14 games.
Inter Miami will visit New York City FC on Saturday.
Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.
