MLS fiasco and fan discontent
Lionel Messi puts Inter Miami in dire straits
October 5, 2023, 8:43 a.m
Lionel Messi hits the ground running at Inter Miami. After his sensational move to the USA, the soccer world champion is scoring goals like he’s on an assembly line. But now he is injured and nothing works anymore. The club is missing out on a title, the playoffs are a long way off – and the fans are dissatisfied.
Lionel Messi’s sporting activities are currently rare. The Argentine last played football on September 21st, but the captain had to be substituted after just 37 minutes in Inter Miami’s 4-0 win against Toronto. An injury has been plaguing the soccer world champion since the international break, during which Argentina won the World Cup qualifiers against Ecuador and Bolivia. Messi was already missing from the 3-0 win against Bolivia due to a muscle injury he sustained against Ecuador, which meant he had to be substituted in the 89th minute. And this is what plagues his new team in the USA.
Because without Messi, Inter Miami is gradually losing sight of the playoffs in Major League Soccer (MLS). The team from the US state of Florida suffered a 1:4 (0:0) defeat against Chicago Fire and can no longer make it into the knockout phase on their own.
Miami remains in second-to-last place in the Eastern Conference and is five points behind ninth place in the playoffs with three games left. The club has also already lost one title: in the final of the US Open Cup, the American counterpart to the DFB Cup, Miami lost 2-1 to Houston Dynamo at the end of September.
Messi, who has now missed his club’s last three league games (previously 1-1 twice) due to muscular problems, had to watch as former Bundesliga professional Xherdan Shaqiri scored twice in front of 62,124 spectators in Chicago (49th and 73rd. ). The other two goals for Chicago were scored by his Swiss compatriot Maren Haile-Selassie (62nd and 65th). Miami couldn’t do more than make it 1-1 with Josef Martinez’s penalty (53′).
“Of course we needed this win. Every game is now a final,” said Shaqiri and spoke of a “perfect evening for us.” With the win, Chicago moved up to eighth place, and there is a good chance that the club will reach the playoffs for the first time since 2017.
“No problem with being mysterious”
For Miami, however, the air is tight, although things started incredibly well. Messi had scored eleven goals in his first nine games for Inter. Suddenly it seemed as if the playoffs were still within reach, even though the start of the season had been modest before Messi’s arrival. The hype was huge, ticket prices rose by 515 percent, the online ticket marketplace TickPick reported.
But now the discontent among the fans is growing. Communication regarding Messi is poor, nothing precise is known about his condition and whether the 36-year-old will be able to play again soon. “We understand the explanation and the desire to know, but we have no problem with being mysterious,” coach Gerardo Martino said before the US Open Cup final. “If it wasn’t Messi, the media wouldn’t be asking about him!” Meanwhile, rumors about his injury are spreading, it is even rumored that Messi suffered a torn hamstring – and not during international duty, but only afterwards against Toronto, according to the non-club Inter Miami Podcast.
Messi’s absence is slowly becoming a problem for the club, both for sporting reasons and for image reasons. The Argentine on the pitch will definitely be available to watch from next week – on Apple TV+. The streaming service has filmed a documentary about the superstar and his journey to the USA. The previews are the only sporting scenes that can currently be seen from Messi.