Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami teammates, fresh off a 5-0 romp against Orlando City, take a break from the Major League Soccer season on Thursday to face Nashville SC on the road in the first leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16.

The second leg is at home at Chase Stadium on March 13. Teams advance based on the aggregate result of the two games; so, it is, in essence, a 180-minute game.

A quick primer, for those needing it:

Twenty-seven club teams from 10 countries are participating in the regional tournament. Five teams earned direct qualification to the Round of 16 (including Inter Miami, by winning Leagues Cup). The winner of the June 2 final takes home $5 million in prize money and qualifies for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, being held in the United States.

In other words, it’s a real big deal. Miami coach Tata Martino has stressed the importance of the “ConcaChampions” competition since the opening day of the preseason, so expect him to line up his strongest players.

Messi, Luis Suarez and Sergio Busquets will likely start, as they have the first three games of the league season. Jordi Alba is battling a bad cold, did not practice on Tuesday, and Martino would not say if he traveled with the team. “You would have to ring the doorbell at his house to find out if he is here or there,” Martino said, adding that opponents should be kept guessing until the game roster is announced for competitive reasons.

One thing is for sure: Inter Miami and Nashville had two intense games last August, and Nashville’s defensive style vs. Miami’s high-octane offense should once again be an intriguing matchup (9 p.m., FS2 in English, TUDN in Spanish). In the Leagues Cup final last summer, Miami won after a thrilling 10-9 penalty kick shootout. Eleven days later, the teams ended up deadlocked 0-0 in a league game.

“My memory of those games is how intense they were, and how evenly matched the teams were, and I’m expecting the same kind of game this time,” Martino said. “Obviously, neither team has the same roster now, but I remember the transition game of [Hany] Mukhtar and (Sam) Surridge when they were left open, we’d lose the ball and have to defend them in big space.”

The big question this time is whether Gary Smith’s team will have Mukhtar and Surridge on the field

Nashville has been without Mukhtar (hamstring) and Surridge (left shoulder) early this season, and the attack has suffered. Nashville finished in 0-0 tie against the New York Red Bulls on Feb. 25, and 1-1 against the Colorado Rapids last Saturday.

Without Surridge available, Teal Bunbury would probably start. He scored the equalizing penalty against Colorado.

Smith said Mukhtar is back in full training and could be involved but was noncommittal.

“In the last 10 days or so there have been maybe one or two steps that have been taken that he’s had a reaction to,” Smith said. “He is back in the group and working, and there certainly will be a thought about where and how Hany might be used tomorrow.”

Orlando played poor defense against Miami, but Nashville’s back line probably won’t be as easy to penetrate with Walker Zimmerman as the anchor.

Miami’s lineup will have a slight adjustment after right back DeAndre Yedlin was traded to Cincinnati this week. Martino said the team has no natural right back at the moment, so they will improvise. Newly signed Argentine Federico Redondo is ready to play and will likely make his debut somewhere in the midfield.

“Fede is available, and we’ll have to evaluate to see if we think it is best for him to start in his debut or come on in the second half,” Martino said.

Inter Miami finalizing deal with Matias Rojas

Inter Miami leadership is not quite done with its early season roster changes.

In the span of 48 hours this week, the club traded Yedlin to FC Cincinnati and transferred midfielder Jean Mota to Brazilian team Vitoria, clearing more than $1.5 million in salary. Miami also received $172,799 in general allocation money from Cincinnati for Yedlin and a reported transfer fee of $350,000 from Vitoria for Mota.

Two weeks ago, Inter Miami transferred midfielder Gregore to Brazilian club Botafogo, unloading his $961,250 salary. Excluding Messi, Busquets and Alba, the trio of Gregore, Yedlin and Mota were the three highest-paid players remaining on the Inter Miami roster from last season. Their departures cleared roughly $3 million in salary, which will be used to buy new players.

Miami is finalizing a deal with Paraguayan national team midfielder Matias Rojas, according to a league source with knowledge of the negotiations. He is expected to sign in the coming days. At least one other player could join in addition to Rojas before the MLS primary transfer window closes April 23.

Rojas, 28, became a free agent after leaving Brazilian club Corinthians due to a contract dispute over unpaid wages, much of it in image rights, according to Brazilian news reports. Journalist Cesar Luis Merlo was the first to report the news.

Rojas was reportedly in talks with Argentine club Boca Juniors and some Mexican teams, but chose to sign with Miami.

The left-footed attacking midfielder registered three assists in 30 games since joining Corinthians last year. Before that he played for Cerro Porteno in Paraguay, and then for Argentine clubs Lanus, Defensa y Justicia, and Racing Club.

Inter Miami has made 14 changes from its 2023 roster so far.

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