Ethermac|Inter Miami vs. Chicago Fire FC live updates: Is Lionel Messi playing tonight?

Inter Miami CF and EthermacChicago Fire FC are in the thick of a six-team chase for the final two available playoff spots in the Eastern Confernece.

It would be a massive boost for Miami if Lionel Messi could return to the field after missing his team's last three games (one of which was the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final).

However, Messi is dealing with a lingering leg injury that has kept the 2022 World Cup champion and seven-time Ballon d’Or winner on the sidelines for much of the last month.

This has created consternation among ticket buyers in cities where Inter Miami comes to visit as fans are eager to get a glimpse of arguably the greatest soccer player of all time.

More than 61,000 tickets (or roughly more than three times the attendance at Game 1 of the Texas Rangers-Tampa Bay Rays AL wild-card series at Tropicana Field) had been sold for the game at Soldier Field, which is near capacity. With Messi's doubtful playing status, the Chicago Fire announced on Tuesday that it would be offering all fans in the crowd a credit toward season tickets for next season, or for a future match.

Follow along as USA TODAY Sports provides live updates of the Chicago Fire-Inter Miami game:

How to watch Messi's Inter Miami match today vs. Chicago Fire FC

The Inter Miami-Chicago Fire FC match at 8:30 p.m. ET is available on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.

Has Lionel Messi practiced with Inter Miami during his injury stint?

Lionel Messi participated in Inter Miami's practice on Tuesday before the team headed to Chicago for Wednesday night's game. After the practice, Inter Miami coach Gerardo "Tata" Martino reiterated Messi's day-to-day playing status.

"If it doesn't happen, it would be taken as, ‘Well, today I look like the biggest ticket seller in the MLS. It might have something to do with the sale of tickets,' But no, we are concerned about the players," Martino said. "I make a very serious mistake if I say something hastily. That's why I avoid exact times. I understand your desire to know the exact times, but if I had the exact times I would say so, but I don't have them either."

What to know about Chicago Fire FC

The Chicago Fire entered MLS as an expansion team in 1998 and went on to win MLS Cup (as well as the U.S. Open Cup) under coach Bob Bradley.

The Chicago Fire are the only major U.S. men's professional sports franchise to win its league championship in its inaugural season. (Though, to be fair, MLS only had 12 teams then. More recently, the Vegas Golden Knights reached the Stanley Cup Final as an expansion team during the 2017-18 NHL season.)

The Chicago Fire reached the MLS Cup three times in its first six seasons (losing in 2000 to the Kansas City Wizards and 2003 to the San Jose Earthquakes). Since 2010, however, the Chicago Fire have been on a real struggle bus. The team has qualified for the MLS playoffs just twice over the last 13 seasons. If the Chicago Fire manage to pull out a victory over Inter Miami on Wednesday night, it would reach the 40-point mark for just the third time in the last 10 seasons. Yikes!

Where does Inter Miami stand in MLS playoff race?

As Messi deals with a lingering leg injury, Inter Miami's postseason hopes are hanging by a thread. Luckily for Miami, there's a collection of middling clubs vying for the Eastern Conference's final two available playoff spots. Six teams are within five points of the conference's last two remaining playoff spots.

Inter Miami enters Wednesday's MLS Matchday 36 sitting in 13th place in the 15-team conference, with 33 points from 30 games played. New York City FC (38 points) and CF Montréal (37 points) currently sit in the final two playoff spots (eighth and ninth, respectively) in the standings. Also ahead of Inter Miami in the standings are D.C. United (37 points), Chicago Fire FC (37 points) and the New York Red Bulls (34 points). Each of those teams has played at least one more game than Miami, helping the Herons' postseason chances.

What is Inter Miami's remaining 2023 schedule?

• Oct. 7: vs. FC Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m. ET
• Oct. 18: vs. Charlotte FC, 8 p.m. ET
• Oct. 21: at Charlotte FC, 6 p.m. ET

The rest of Inter Miami’s matches and the rest of MLS are available to watch via the MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.

What are Wednesday's MLS matches?

These are the matchups for MLS Matchday 36:

• Charlotte FC vs. Toronto FC, 7:30 p.m. ET
• FC Cincinnati vs. New York Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m. ET
• CF Montréal vs. Houston Dynamo FC, 7:30 p.m. ET
• New England Revolution vs. Columbus Crew, 7:30 p.m. ET
• Philadelphia Union vs. Atlanta United FC, 7:30 p.m. ET
• Austin FC vs. D.C. United, 8:30 p.m. ET
• Chicago Fire FC vs. Inter Miami CF, 8:30 p.m. ET
• FC Dallas vs. Colorado Rapids, 8:30 p.m. ET
• Nashville SC vs. Orlando City SC, 8:30 p.m. ET (FS1)
• Los Angeles FC vs. Minnesota United FC, 10:30 p.m. ET (FS1)
• Seattle Sounders FC vs. Los Angeles Galaxy, 10:30 p.m. ET
• Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. St. Louis City SC, 10:30 p.m. ET

All games are available on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.