Lionel Messi will not serve the usual one-match suspension after receiving his fifth yellow card of the campaign on Wednesday.
The 39-year-old Argentine was cautioned when Inter Miami finished 2-2 with FC Cincinnati.
Normally that would trigger an automatic ban for the next game.
However, a little-known MLS regulation means Messi will be available when his side faces the New England Revolution on Sunday evening.
Major League Soccer rules allow a player's yellow-card total to be lowered after stretches without any cautions.
Named the "Good Behaviour Incentive", the policy reduces a player's tally each time they play five straight matches without receiving a yellow or red card.
Messi went unbooked in his first six league appearances this season.
He then completed ten matches without a card, spanning from the August 16 game versus Nashville to the October 18 3-1 victory over Atlanta.
Because of that record, his total can be cut, keeping him eligible for the New England fixture.
Messi has been outstanding for Inter Miami this year.
The veteran, who finished fifth in the Ballon d'Or on Monday, has netted 25 goals and added 13 assists in 29 MLS games in 2026.
Inter Miami sit third in the Eastern Conference after 32 matches.
The upcoming clash with New England is the club's second-last regular-season game.
They will host Charlotte FC on November 7 before the playoffs begin.
