MIAMI — Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and Sergio Busquets did not travel to Vancouver with the Inter Miami team on Thursday and will skip the game Saturday against the Whitecaps to rest, league sources confirmed.

The three players are not injured, the sources said, but stayed home because the flight to Vancouver takes eight hours, the longest in Major League Soccer, and Inter Miami has two more games over the next seven days, both at home.

The news will surely disappoint the sellout crowd of 55,000 that was expected at BC Place for the highly anticipated game. The Whitecaps had planned the biggest street party in the team’s history in the leadup to the 10:30 p.m. kickoff.

“While we haven’t received an official update on the availability of Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, and Sergio Busquets for this weekend, we understand they will not make this trip. 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,“ said Axel Schuster, Whitecaps FC CEO.

“We always want our best players going up against our opponent’s best players, and facing players of the highest pedigree was especially exciting for our team. We know that there will also be a lot of disappointed fans. We remain committed to making this a special experience for everyone. 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.”

Vancouver Whitecaps FC will be providing all stadium food and beverage for the match at 50% off. In addition, youth 18 and under will be provided free kids meal combos.

Messi draws record audiences everywhere he goes, and Vancouver coach Vanni Sartini had said on Tuesday that he would not hold it against Whitecaps fans if they showed some love to their Argentine visitor.

Asked if he would urge Vancouver fans not to root for Messi, Santini said: “No. It’s like going to the Louvre and saying, 'Don’t cheer for the Gioconda (Mona Lisa)’. Messi is an opera de arte (a work of art), so it’s OK if they cheer for Messi Saturday because they’re going to cheer for everyone. If we score, they’re not going to say, 'Boo!’ They’re going to be happy. And then when Messi touches the ball, everyone will say 'Ahhh.’ So, that’s totally fine.”

Sartini added half-jokingly that he is more excited about the possibility of seeing Inter Miami owner David Beckham than seeing Messi.

“It’s a generational thing, so I hope that Beckham comes,” Sartini said. “Even my wife is going to be more happy if Beckham comes. Beckham is the same age as me, so he was a player when I was a kid, too, when I was 19 or 20. I don’t get starstruck with younger players, but I do when I see someone older, like (Gabriel) Batistuta, to name an Argentine player.”

The Whitecaps are winless over their past five games, while Miami has gone nine consecutive games without a loss and sits atop the Eastern Conference and in first place in the Supporters Shield race with 31 points from nine wins, two losses and four ties.

A big reason for Miami’s success is the dynamic duo of Messi and his former Barcelona teammate and close friend Luis Suarez. Between them they have 21 goals and 17 assists over a span of 14 games. Messi has 10 goals and 12 assists over 10 games and Suarez has 11 goals and five assists over 14 appearances.

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