Lionel Messi’s growing frustration was evident Sunday night as Inter Miami suffered a damaging 3-0 defeat to Orlando City in Major League Soccer (MLS), continuing a dismal stretch of form that has seen the team win just once in their last seven matches across all competitions, Al Jazeera reports.
The loss in the Florida derby at Chase Stadium saw Orlando leapfrog Miami in the Eastern Conference standings, with the hosts now sitting sixth. Miami’s defense was once again exposed, with the side having now conceded 20 goals in their last seven games.
Speaking after the match, Messi urged his teammates to rally during what he described as a critical test of character.
“Now, we’ll truly see if we’re a team in difficult times, because when everything’s going well, it’s very easy,” Messi said in a post-match interview with Apple TV. “When difficult times come, that’s when we have to be more united than ever, be a true team, and pull ourselves together.”
Messi had two shots on target and failed to convert a late free-kick, as Miami’s attacking efforts faltered. Veteran forward Luis Suárez also struggled, unable to spark the side’s forward line into action.
The breakthrough for Orlando came just before halftime. In the 43rd minute, goalkeeper Pedro Gallese launched a long ball downfield, which Luis Muriel controlled and calmly slotted past Miami goalkeeper Óscar Ustari. The goal highlighted Miami’s vulnerability to direct play, which Orlando repeatedly exploited.
Miami’s defensive issues worsened in the second half. Marco Pašalić’s low shot from the edge of the box slipped through the hands and legs of the 38-year-old Ustari, doubling Orlando’s lead in the 56th minute.
Miami coach Javier Mascherano attempted to shake things up by introducing additional attacking players, but the changes failed to shift the momentum. Orlando sealed the result in stoppage time, as Dagur Þórhallsson finished off a low cross from Duncan McGuire to make it 3-0.
Mascherano, who took charge of the team earlier this season, conceded that the squad is suffering from a crisis in confidence following their Concacaf Champions Cup elimination earlier this month.
“Clearly, something has happened where the team has lost a lot of confidence,” Mascherano said in his post-match comments. “We have had a drop in level, individually and collectively. We’ve tried different systems and players, and still, today we are hurting.”
Despite a strong start to the match, Mascherano pointed to the opening goal as a turning point.
“I’d say for 25 or 30 minutes, we had it completely under control playing in the opponent’s half. But this is how it is — I’m not going to deny what the result is.”
Miami’s only win in May came against the New York Red Bulls on May 3. With defensive fragility, a disjointed midfield, and offensive struggles, the team must quickly find answers to reverse its current slide.
Inter Miami faces a crucial stretch of fixtures in the coming weeks that may define the rest of their season — and determine whether Messi’s second MLS campaign ends in disappointment or redemption.
