Messi won't travel to Vancouver for record sellout

Find the biggest stories from across the soccer world by visiting our Top Soccer News section and subscribing to push notifications.

An expected club-record crowd for a Vancouver Whitecaps match won't see Inter Miami star Lionel Messi in the flesh.

Nor will they see fellow Miami stars Luis Suarez and Sergio Busquets after it was reported that the trio of former Barcelona icons will not make the trip for Saturday's clash at BC Place.

Whitecaps CEO Axel Schuster all but confirmed the absences of Messi & Co.

"Unfortunately, we have no control over who plays for our opponent, and it was important for us to communicate to our fans as soon as possible," Schuster said in a team statement.

"We know that there will also be a lot of disappointed fans," Schuster added.

According to the Whitecaps' statement, a club-record MLS-era 55,000-sellout crowd was expected with pre-match festivities including "the biggest street party in the team’s history."

The Inter Miami trio are not injured and are skipping the match for rest, sources told the Miami Herald's Michelle Kaufman.

Miami also has a home match against Atlanta United next Wednesday.

The club says it will offer all food and drinks at stadium concessions at 50% off and all entrants 18 years of age or younger will receive one complimentary kids combo.

"We remain committed to making this a special experience for everyone," Schuster said.

"It is still going to be an incredible atmosphere and celebration of soccer for our city. We have amazing fans, we have a good team, and Saturday's match is a very important home game for us."

At the time of the Whitecaps' team statement, some tickets for the May 25 match were priced in the thousands on Ticketmaster, with one ticket seller asking over $10,000 CAD for a single seat.

Miami enters Saturday's match with the best record in MLS. The team has six wins and a draw in their last seven league outings, outscoring opponents 20-8 in that stretch.