Has the Messi magic dried up as Inter Miami stumble again

Despite the wave of optimism that swept across Inter Miami fans when Javier Mascherano was appointed as a replacement for Tata Martino ahead of the 2025 season, things are failing to gel for the side from Florida.

Last night’s tie in San Jose saw the ‘Herons’ now only claim one win in their past six outings and in this sextet of matches, the men from Florida have shipped 17 goals. The team recently crashed out of the CONCACAF Champions Cup losing both home and away legs to Vancouver Whitecaps at the semi-final stage.

Following the recent 4-1 defeat to Minnesota (Messi’s heaviest loss in a Inter Miami jersey), Mascherano was honest and admitted that ‘Loons’ were smarter tactically: “unfortunately, it is a very hard loss for us, because beyond everything, we knew that Minnesota could do this kind of damage in transition and set pieces, and they ended up doing damage in a way that we had thought about before the match, and that’s what worries me,” said the first-year boss post game.

“It’s inattention – a lack of focus that you can’t have in this kind of match.”

Messi concerns

Inter Miami’s achilles heel last season was a leaky defence as the team ran out steam last season after winning the Supporters’ Shield. Despite having one of the youngest rosters in the league, the team is very much based around the likes of Messi (37), Suarez (38) and Busquets (36).

And whilst Messi can still deliver moments of magic on the pitch, injuries continue to impact on his regularity for the MLS side. This is the Argentine’s last contracted season with the team and he has always stated that playing in the future will depend on his physical condition as he still harbors hope of defending Argentina’s World Cup crown next summer at the US/Canada and Mexico tournament.

His frustration was clear to see at the end of the 3-3 draw in San Jose last night when the player was angry and visibly upset after a refereeing decision. His exasperation boiled over post game and a timely intervention from ‘Quakes coach Bruce Arena diffused the situation, and possibly prevented a red card for Messi.

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