Lionel Messi has called on his Inter Miami teammates to remain united amid a troubling run of form, following a 3-0 defeat at home to Orlando City in the Florida derby.
The loss marked Miami’s fifth defeat in seven matches across all competitions, leaving them sixth in the MLS Eastern Conference. Despite his leadership on the pitch, the 37-year-old Argentine — an eight-time Ballon d’Or winner — delivered a subdued performance, managing just two shots on target and misfiring a free-kick.
“Now is when we’ll see if we’re truly a team during difficult moments, because it’s easy when everything is going well,” said Messi post-match. “When adversity strikes, that’s when we must be more united than ever — to be a real team and pull through together.”
Orlando broke the deadlock just before halftime through Luis Muriel, with second-half goals from Marco Pasalic and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson sealing a convincing win for the visitors.
Miami, who topped the Eastern Conference last season, have now conceded 20 goals in their last seven outings. Their only win in that stretch came against the New York Red Bulls, compounding concerns ahead of next month’s FIFA Club World Cup, which will be hosted in the United States.
Head coach Javier Mascherano, who took the reins in November, echoed his captain’s sentiments: “In moments like these, if we start pulling in different directions, we won’t be able to overcome this,” he said. “This team showed at the start of the season what it's capable of — we need to rediscover that together.”
In other MLS action, reigning champions LA Galaxy, enduring the worst start to a season in league history, fought back from two goals down to draw with Los Angeles FC. Former Borussia Dortmund forward Marco Reus scored twice for Galaxy, who remain winless and bottom of the Western Conference with just four points.
