MIAMI — Inter Miami, the defending Leagues Cup champion, plays a Round of 16 match on the the road Tuesday night against reigning MLS champion Columbus Crew.

Miami coach Tata Martino insists that although his team has been perched atop the MLS standings all season and beat Columbus in mid-June in a regular-season game, the Crew “is the best team in the league, by far.”

With those two resumes, and a quarterfinal spot at stake, Tuesday’s game should be generating considerable buzz.

But it’s not.

Injured Lionel Messi is out indefinitely, and the nascent Leagues Cup in just its second year, at the tail end of a crowded summer of international soccer, so the game lacks the excitement that surrounded last year’s Round of 16 game against FC Dallas at Toyota Stadium.

That game was Messi’s road debut in a Miami uniform, and it made international headlines. Tickets sold out in 15 minutes, and the cheapest seats on the secondary market ranged from $413 to $462 on the eve of the match.

Tickets for the game against the Crew at Lower.com Stadium on Tuesday were available for $25 as of Monday afternoon and only six reporters showed up at Inter Miami training Monday morning for the pregame news conferences with Martino and goalkeeper Drake Callender compared to the throng of media that descended on Inter Miami last summer.

Although Miami’s Leagues Cup games are less hyped this time around, the team maintains it is motivated to defend its title and knock out the Crew, which is unbeaten in its past five home games and is coming off a 4-0 shutout of Sporting Kansas City in the Round of 32.

Miami, meanwhile, survived, 4-3, against Toronto FC in the previous round despite being forced to play the final 70 minutes with 10 men.

“I agree with Tata that they’re a great team, they’re doing really well in the season and had a good run in the CONCACAF Champions Cup,” Callender said. “We’re very aware of that as we go up to play them. We’re going to have our hands full. They [rely on] a lot of possession, work very well together, are fast, smart players. We’re playing away from home and it’s an elimination game, so we might feel a bit more pressure, but those are games pro players look forward to playing.”

Columbus got a Group Stage bye and rolled through its Round of 32 match with the help of two goals by Uruguayan forward Diego Rossi. Summertime signings Dylan Chambost of France and U.S. national team defender DeJuan Jones also scored. Other players to watch are Colombian MLS Cup MVP Cucho Hernandez and Darlington Nagbe, who has played for the U.S. national team.

The Crew has maintained its excellence from last season under coach Wilfried Nancy.

“Columbus is the best team in the league because they have a defined style of play, and I happen to appreciate that style, with which they typically dominate rivals,” Martino said. “That does not mean they always win, but normally the games are played on their terms, and the individuals they have execute their game plan very well. For the year and a half that I have been with Miami, I see they are consistent and don’t veer from their plan.”

Miami will be without Messi for the 11th game in a row, five due to Copa America and six due to injury. He sustained a ligament injury in his right ankle while playing for Argentina in the Copa America final July 14 at Hard Rock Stadium. He was in a protective walking boot for a few weeks, is out of the boot now, but still restricted to gym work.

Martino said on Monday that Messi is improving each day, but there is no estimate for when Messi might return to training. He has said in the past he hopes to have his full roster healthy by the end of the month.

“It’s been unfortunate that we haven’t had Leo the last two months and he’s a player you want on your roster, playing games, helping us win games,” Callender said. “But other players have stepped up and helped us out. He’s such a big presence on our team when he’s with us, and even when he’s not playing. He’s in every day, working with trainers and I think it’s important for the guys to see how he takes care of himself and responds to an injury and hopefully, we’ll be able to have him back soon.”

Miami will also have to play without center back David Martinez, who is suspended following a red card against Toronto. Look for Sergio Busquets to drop to the back line and Yannick Bright to start at defensive midfielder.

Seedings and home-field advantage for the Leagues Cup are based on last season’s league standings; so even though Miami won the tournament, it finished second to last in the Eastern Conference race in 2023, so eight of the nine MLS teams remaining in the final 16 are seeded ahead of Miami. The only way Miami will get to host a game for the rest of the tournament is if the opponent is among the six remaining Mexican Liga MX teams because all matches are being played on U.S. soil, and/or if Colorado Rapids and Miami make the final, in which case Miami would host.

How to Watch Inter Miami vs. Columbus Crew:

The Leagues Cup Round of 16 match kicks off at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Lower.com Stadium. It will be televised on Apple TV MLS Season Pass.

Cesar Montes to Inter Miami?

The MLS transfer window closes Aug. 16, and there have been reports linking Inter Miami with Mexican national team defender Cesar Montes, who plays in Spain for Almeria and played for Mexico under Martino at the 2022 World Cup.

Asked what he thought of Montes and if there was any truth to the rumors, Martino said: “If you are asking what I think of Cesar, I have only positive things to say about him as a player and person. We are always open to transfers, but the left center back spot we needed to fill to replace Nico [Freire] we did with David [Martinez]. If in the future if a player comes like Cesar, he would be welcomed.”

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