Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez start on Inter Miami’s bench in Atlanta

Lionel Messi was not in the starting lineup for Inter Miami’s match against Atlanta United on Wednesday night.

With the Herons playing their second of three games in a week, Messi started the match on the bench after coach Gerardo Martino said he did not want to overwhelm his star player, who is returning from injury and in the midst of a busy period.

Two other key Miami players, Luis Suárez and Jordi Alba, were also named as substitutes for the game, which is expected to draw a large crowd to Mercedes-Benz Stadium – especially to see Messi.

When Inter Miami visited Atlanta a year ago, he did not play, disappointing the 71,635 fans, but this time he was in the stadium, setting him up for a possible second-half appearance.

Messi, 37, made a mesmerizing return to Miami’s lineup after a lengthy absence last Saturday, scoring two goals and providing an assist on the third in a 3-1 win over Philadelphia Union.

Miami has the best record in Major League Soccer and will look to secure home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.

The Argentine star and eight-time Ballon d’Or winner had not played for Inter Miami since June 1 due to national team commitments and a right ankle injury sustained in the 1-0 win over Colombia in the Copa America final on July 14.

“A little tired because of the heat and humidity in Miami, but I was so keen to return after so long,” Messi said in Spanish after the game. “I started training with the group and started to feel better.”

Messi scored two goals in four minutes midway through the first half to cancel out an early goal by Philadelphia.

Suárez assisted on one of Messi’s goals and secured the win with a goal following a Messi assist in second-half stoppage time.

It was Suárez’ 17th goal of the season.

Messi came into Wednesday with 14 goals and 14 assists in league matches, despite only playing 13 games.

Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.