The Argentine has been a catalyst for change in Southern Florida but the Herons continue to struggle when he is not on the field.
Inter Miami fell to their first defeat of 2024 on Sunday evening, a home loss to a CF Montreal side who traditionally struggle away from home. It was the worst performance we’ve seen from the Herons this season and came, perhaps predictably, in their first game without Lionel Messi in the team.
Now 36 years old, Messi is no longer able to participate in every single fixture and Miami are aware of the need to preserve their crown jewel. Miami are expected to go deep in three competitions and qualify for the MLS playoffs, while Messi will also be flying off to represent Argentina at key points of the season.
In short, Miami must learn how to succeed without Messi’s generational talents, but don’t seem to have found the formula just yet.
After the 3-2 home loss to Montreal, Miami head coach Tata Martino revealed that he had decided some time ago that Messi would be rested against Montreal. The Argentine has been a catalyst for change in Southern Florida but the Herons continue to struggle when he is not on the field.
“We discussed this about a week ago. We agreed that this was the game he should rest, independent of what happened in the game against Nashville,” the Argentinian tactician told reporters. “[The media] asked 10 days ago if I planned to rotate; we rotated.”
The Montreal clash was Inter Miami’s fifth competitive fixture of 2024 and it was the first that finished in defeat for the Herons. Since making his debut for Inter Miami, Lionel Messi has featured in 18 games and the team have won 14 of them. The Argentine has missed eight matches over that period and Miami have won just once in his
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