Messi's Inter Miami and a pivotal match for 'his' Club World Cup: Anselmi's Porto promise to make things even tougher for Mascherano.

Lionel Messi 's Inter Miami returns to the field to play its second match in the Club World Cup , this time in Atlanta , in the colossal Mercedes Benz stadium (at 4:00 p.m., Argentine time, broadcast by Telefé, DSports and the platforms DAZN and Disney +) and against Porto , a rival that promises to cause even more complications than those suffered against the Egyptian Al Ahly in the debut, when Oscar Ustari was the star saving a penalty .

This is an area that is currently tied in numbers because the Portuguese team led by Argentine Martin Anselmi and where former Boca player Alan Varela and former Argentinos Nehuen Perez also play also tied 0-0 against Palmeiras , the fourth member of Group A. Yesterday afternoon, Leo and company left the comfort of Fort Lauderdale to travel the thousand kilometers that separate them from the capital of Georgia, the city where the 1996 Olympic Games were played, the creator of CNN has his street and 133 years ago Coca Cola was created.

What was originally intended as a remedy ended up becoming the most popular drink on the planet, and its formula is a secret that has survived generations. Messi is also a mass phenomenon and a multimillion-dollar brand, but his essence holds no secret; he's driven by competitiveness. That's why he looked so angry in the debut, aware that his team had a terrible time a few days ago and exposed him to embarrassment. There will be no extra life against Porto.

Inter Miami's selection in the tournament was controversial but inevitable. The problem for their coach, Javier Mascherano , is that he doesn't have a squad that's up to the task, either in terms of hierarchy or physicality. MLS imposes salary caps on signings, and on top of that, they've suffered injuries, like that of Jordi Alba , who will still be eligible to return against the Portuguese. In other words, FIFA puts Leo on the posters, but the one who has to put his face on the field is the Argentine No. 10.

The pink team is optimistic and believes that qualifying for the round of 16 is still possible , despite losing points against the theoretically weakest opponent of the three. This certainty is sustained primarily by the spirit of a locker room that includes an Argentine coaching staff and some names accustomed to fighting against adversity.

In commercial terms, FIFA maintains that the Club World Cup is a success despite the fact that most stadiums currently have empty stands. Another unknown ahead of Thursday's match is how many people will attend Messi in a stadium with a capacity that can be expanded to 70,000 , like the one Argentina brought to its Copa América debut a year ago.

The streets don't display the excitement of those days when the Scaloneta was launching a new continental conquest. At Centennial Olympic Park , which serves as a memorial for the 1996 Atlanta Games, there are no soccer jerseys, only baseball ones. The Atlanta Braves played Tuesday and Wednesday, and they'll play again tonight against the New York Mets, whose fans came to be part of their team's tour. If anyone asks about Thursday's game, the locals will answer about the chances of the Braves, one of the two oldest teams in the history of all American sports.

And the same thing is happening in Miami, where the media seems more concerned with the preparations for the NHL Stanley Cup champion Panthers' parade than with the result of the pink Inter team. It's strange to play ice hockey in a city with 35-degree heat. As strange as seeing Messi on a team that went to the Club World Cup to decorate it.