MIAMI — Inter Miami is about to embark on arguably the toughest back-to-back road trips in club history and Lionel Messi will have two newly signed teammates along for the journey, 18-year-old Ecuadorean forward Allen Obando and 21-year-old Argentine midfielder Baltasar Rodriguez.

Obando is on loan from Barcelona SC of Guayaquil and represented his country at the 2024 Pre-Olympic tournament and the 2025 South American U20 Championship. Rodriguez is on loan from Argentine club Racing and played for Argentina’s U-23 national team at the Pre-Olympic Tournament under the management of current Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano.

Their young legs could prove valuable as Inter Miami faces a league game against Eastern Conference leader Columbus Crew on Saturday followed by a Concacaf Champions Cup semifinal match against the Vancouver Whitecaps, who sit atop the standings in the West.

Messi, two months shy of his 38th birthday, enters this challenging stretch back to full fitness. He played 90-plus minutes each of the past four games, and scored three goals during that stretch, after missing the FIFA international break in mid-late March with an upper leg injury.

For both Obando and Rodriguez, the opportunity to play alongside Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Buquets and Jordi Alba were critical in their decision to join MLS. Spanish La Liga club Atletico Madrid was in preliminary talks with Obando, but he and his family decided a move to Inter Miami was better at this time.

“Mainly, I am here to learn a lot from the elite players on this team,” Obando said. “In just a few weeks, I have already seen their humility. That was surprising because you don’t know what to expect. But in person they are nice people and have welcomed me warmly.”

Mascherano said the addition of Obando will offer him a chance to learn under the tutelage of Suarez, one of the best center forwards of this generation, and also will allow 38-year-old Suarez to get some rest every now and then. Obando, who is 6-2, is also known for his aerial game.

Obando grew up in Esmeraldas, a northwestern coastal province of Ecuador, and moved to Guayaquil at a young age to pursue his soccer career. His father, Carlos, played in the Ecuadorean second division. His mother, Monserrat, worked as an engineer and is now focused on Allen’s career. She accompanied him to South Florida as he gets acclimated to his new home.

He liked basketball, but soccer was Obando’s first love. He is looking forward to attending his first Heat game.

Obando got his debut in the 1-1 tie against Toronto two weeks ago. He said it was an emotional moment.

Playing on the same field as Messi was a privilege for the Ecuadorean forward, who was not even born when Messi signed his first pro contract.

“It is very impressive because seeing him on TV for so long and then seeing him in person, it’s amazing what he does at his age,” Obando said of Messi. “For most people that would be impossible, but he has that competitive spirit and that is what impressed me most. The hunger he still has is inspiring.”

Rodriguez, a right-sided midfielder who also plays in the middle, is looking forward to his debut, which could come during one of the next two games. He said he plans to travel to Columbus.

He hopes to get more minutes with Miami than he did at Racing and said having Messi, Suarez, Busquets and Alba as teammates provides extra motivation. Having former Racing teammate Toto Aviles on the squad, as well as other young players he knows such as Fede Redondo, Gonzalo Lujan, Rocco Rios Novo and Telasco Segovia has made for a smooth transition.

It also helps that he is familiar with Mascherano and his coaching staff.

“I am very happy to be here after a difficult month while I waited for the paperwork to go through,” he said.

“I know Javier from the national team, and we have spoken a lot since I arrived. I am eager to start playing. To play with Messi and the other stars will be really great. I am here to win and win titles for Inter Miami. Everyone welcomed me very well, especially Lionel Messi. It was the first time I saw him in person. I confess it felt a bit strange, but I am getting used to the fact that he is now my teammate.”

Aviles on avoiding yellow cards

Aviles ranked second in MLS with 12 yellow cards last season, a stat he was not particularly proud of. He has worked on reducing that number and has just one card through six games and 308 minutes this season.

“This year I am managing that well, and it’s more a personal matter than a team matter,” he said. “It also helps a lot that we brought in more experienced players and also realizing that those cards were unnecessary. We have also worked hard to be more coordinated defensively, so we are less susceptible to yellow cards.”

Inter Miami hosts Make-A-Wish children

Messi and his teammates, along with Royal Caribbean, spent Tuesday hosting 22 Make-a-Wish children from all over the country and a few from outside the United States, participating in drills with them, posing for photos, and three players (Yannick Bright, Fafa Picault, Maxi Falcon) held in a mock press conference with the children.

“It was a beautiful experience overall, so many things in life are much bigger than futbol,” Picault said.

“It was a powerful event, we know we have two important games coming up, but this day was for those kids and making them happy,” Bright said.

Falcon added: “This was a jolt of reality for us, a reminder that there are more important things, especially family and good health. This gives us more motivation to go forward because we are playing for all these beautiful children.”

Richard Kelly, Chief Operation Officer of Make-A-Wish Southern Florida, said the 22 children were all soccer fans, most of them big Messi fans, and they came from all over the United States and a few from out of the country.

“You can see the smiles on their faces, the things they got to experience, it’s magical, life changing and very impactful,” Kelly said. “This type of experience you just can’t replicate.”

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