The owner of Inter Miami called Major League Soccer’s suspension of Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba for skipping the All-Star Game a “draconian” punishment. “They don’t understand the decision,” owner Jorge Mas said Friday of the one-game suspensions.

Inter Miami will host FC Cincinnati in a matchup of two of the top five teams in the Eastern Conference on Saturday night in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. FC Cincinnati (15-6-3, 48 points) blanked Inter Miami 3-0 on July 16 and surged to the top spot in the conference following a 1-0 win over Real Salt Lake last Saturday.

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Messi, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets all miss first training session in Austin ahead of Wednesday’s All-Star Game