Islamabad, May 19, 2025: Lionel Messi’s evident frustration deepened on Sunday night as Inter Miami endured a heavy 3-0 defeat at home to Orlando City in Major League Soccer.
The Florida derby loss leaves Miami with just one win in their last seven matches across all tournaments. They have slipped to sixth place in the Eastern Conference overtaken by Orlando after the latter’s convincing win.
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Messi, who appeared off-color throughout the match, had just two shots on target in the entire game, reflecting his team’s ongoing downturn.
“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 following the defeat.
“When difficult times come, that’s when we have to be more united than ever, be a true team, and pull ourselves together,” he added.
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Although Messi questioned the refereeing but in truth the loss seemed less about officiating and much to do with Miami’s own chaotic defending. The backline looked disorganized, the midfield disconnected, and their attack, led by the aging Luis Suárez, offered little threat.
Miami have passed 20 goals and scored 11 in their last seven games with their only win coming against the New York Red Bulls on May 3.
Mascherano admitted the opening-half hour of the game went as planned before the goal changed the tone of the game.
“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, clearly. I’m not going to deny what the result is,” he said.
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“Unfortunately, we can’t afford the mistakes we make; that’s clear, but it’s pointless for me to come here and tell this story, because it keeps happening. So, clearly, we as a coaching staff are failing in many of these ways, and we have to try to find a way around them so we don’t continue failing and so the team starts getting results,” he added.
Miami’s MLS campaign was going well until their exit to the CONCACAF Champions Cup at the hands of the Vancouver Whitecaps and Mascherano admitted the team’s morale had been hit.
“Clearly, something has happened where the team has lost a lot of confidence. We have had a drop in level individually and collectively and it’s clear one way or another we have tried with different schemes, different names, and still today we are hurting. We will keep trying to find a way.”
