Lionel Messi’s MLS season ends with Miami loss to Charlotte،
Lionel Messi returned to the starting lineup but couldn’t prevent his first MLS season from ending in defeat as Charlotte FC beat Inter Miami 1-0 in front of a crowd of 66,101 at Bank Stadium of America.
Messi was captain and played more than 90 minutes on artificial turf in Saturday’s pointless match for Miami, which failed to qualify for the playoffs. The game had huge implications for Charlotte, however. With a win and results elsewhere, the second-year team qualified for the MLS playoffs for the first time.
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Kerwin Vargas scored the only goal of the game in the 13th minute, but Miami repeatedly came close to finding an equalizer that would have ended Charlotte’s playoff hopes.
Messi saw a free kick saved off the post in the 62nd minute and also saw a goal ruled out for offside early in the second half. Then, in a thrilling finale, Charlotte goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina made several outstanding saves to keep Miami away.
Charlotte finished ninth in the Eastern Conference to clinch the final playoff spot and will face a wild-card matchup against the New York Red Bulls.
Miami, which was 15th and last in the Eastern Conference when Messi and fellow ex-Barcelona stars Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba arrived in July, finished 14th with 34 points from 34 games. The team was winless in their last six league matches (three losses, three draws) and had four wins, four defeats and four draws in the league since Messi joined the team.
Inter Miami coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino said his team finished the season tired from a heavy schedule.
“We played three tournaments and won one,” Martino said through an interpreter. “The team was exhausted. That’s not an excuse. It’s reality.”
Miami and Charlotte also met Wednesday in a 2-2 draw in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Messi did not play in Wednesday’s match – Miami’s final home game of the MLS season – after scoring both of Argentina’s goals in their 2-0 World Cup qualifying victory in Peru Tuesday evening.
Messi, a seven-time Ballon d’Or winner as the world’s best player, is also expected to play for Inter Miami on November 5 and 8, when the team plays two exhibition matches in China. This will be the first time that Inter Miami tours abroad. Argentina then have further World Cup qualifiers on November 16 and 21 – after which Messi is expected to enjoy an extended break before Inter Miami begin preparing for 2024.
Messi finished with 11 goals in 14 appearances for Inter Miami this season. The team was 8-2-4 in those games; seven of these matches were on the team’s run to win their first ever trophy by winning the Leagues Cup championship. He also appeared in five MLS matches, starting three times and scoring one goal.
Messi made a semifinal appearance at the US Open Cup, but a leg injury derailed his season and essentially ended Inter Miami’s chances of making the playoffs. Miami is now 1-3-3 in seven matches without Messi since he joined the club. He was able to play as a substitute on October 7 against Cincinnati, but Inter Miami lost 1–0 in the result that sealed their playoff elimination.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
