Charlotte FC set to take on an Inter Miami team without stars Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez

The last time Inter Miami came to town, Charlotte FC made history.

The Queen City side beat Inter Miami 1-0 at home in its regular season finale last season to make the MLS playoffs for the first time. Kerwin Vargas’ 13th minute strike lifted Charlotte FC to a crucial victory in front of 66,101 fans against an Inter Miami team featuring one of the best players of all time in Lionel Messi.

This season’s matchup at Bank of America Stadium on Wednesday will be different.

The stakes won’t be as high as last October’s match that had a playoff berth on the line, although it will be a big opportunity for a Charlotte FC team that sits sixth in the Eastern Conference to take points off the league leaders.

Inter Miami will also be without Messi, who contributed to a bumper crowd at last year’s matchup, as well as former Liverpool and Barcelona striker Luis Suarez. Both players are taking part in this summer’s Copa America, hosted by the United States, with their respective international teams.

Inter Miami will still have Barcelona legends Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba available for selection, but Messi and Suarez will be absent. While they won’t make an appearance on Wednesday, Charlotte residents might still get a chance to see the global superstars at Bank of America stadium soon, and their absence will benefit a Charlotte FC team in decent form.

“(Messi) is one of the best players in the world,” head coach Dean Smith said. “So (I’d) much rather play a Miami team that hasn’t got the best player in the world in it.”

Charlotte FC is unbeaten at home in its past six matches and is looking to bounce back from a 1-0 loss to Houston Dynamo on Saturday. The Queen City side hadn’t conceded before the 31st minute this season entering the game, but gave up a goal inside five minutes and couldn’t find an equalizer as they stumbled to their first loss in four games.

“(Inter Miami is) the team who are top of the table at the moment and in good form,” Smith said after Saturday’s loss. “So it’s our opportunity to test ourselves against the best.”

Inter Miami has won each of its past three games despite playing without Messi and Suarez. While the duo also won’t take part in Wednesday’s match, they could still be in Charlotte soon with the Queen City is set to host a pair of Copa America games in the coming weeks.

Suarez’s Uruguay would play at Bank of America Stadium if it advances to the Copa America semifinal on July 10. The Uruguayans are in good shape to do so, sitting top of Group C with a pair of sizable wins against Panama and Bolivia.

Uruguay will take on the United States in its final Group C game on Monday. The U.S. team would also play its semifinal in Charlotte if it advances to that round, but the Americans might not even get out of the group stage following a 2-1 loss to Panama on Thursday — they’ll need a positive result against Uruguay and likely some help to advance to the quarterfinals on July 6.

Messi’s Argentina would play its semifinal on the other side of the knockout stage bracket in New Jersey. However, the reigning World Cup champions would play the third-place game in Charlotte on July 13 if they were to lose at that stage.

Wednesday’s game between Charlotte FC and Inter Miami will likely be less of a spectacle than last year’s matchup without Messi, Suarez and the high stakes. However, the duo’s absence will be a benefit to the Queen City side, and there’s still a chance the superstars will step foot in Bank of America Stadium shortly.