Could Inter Miami’s MLS season be over BEFORE Lionel Messi arrives? A horrific 4-1 loss to the Philadelphia Union ALREADY put the team a whopping 11 points off the playoffs
The only good thing about this humiliation for Inter Miami is that Lionel Messi was over 5,000 miles away playing a friendly in Argentina. If he sat down and watched this horror show in full, it would have ruined his 36th birthday.
It was a terrifying performance by Miami, who lost 4-1 to the Philadelphia Union to set a new low for the season as the last team in the Eastern Conference. They now face the real possibility of being ousted from the playoff spots before Messi even arrives in what would be a disaster for the whole of Major League Soccer.
Miami is now 11 points behind Wayne Rooney’s DC United, who take ninth and final play-in spot for the post-season playoffs. Miami have two games left but judging from their current form there is a risk that they will fall so far behind that Messi will be late to put them in the playoffs.
There are four more MLS games to go before Messi makes his League Cup debut against Cruz Azul on July 21. But opponents in Austin, Columbus, Rooney’s DC and St. Louis make the calendar look unforgiving.
Defensively, Miami were terrible on Saturday night – the second goal came after the ball went over defender Christopher McVey’s head in the penalty area – and in attack the game kept dropping out as players misunderstood the game and ran into space.
Philadelphia Union smashed Inter Miami in a stunning 4-1 win on Saturday night
Miami could depend on MLS playoff places before Lionel Messi joins the team
Leon Flach’s goal brought Union a 3-0 lead against Miami at half-time
Miami went 3-0 at halftime and still had 70 percent possession, which has been a recurring theme this season – lots of possession but no idea what to do with it.
When Messi arrives, the plan should be to just give it to him. But what worries Miami is even less the idea when they don’t have possession.
Union’s first goal came in the 14th minute from a Jakob Glesnes header. The 1.90m tall Norwegian was covered from a corner by David Ruiz, 1.70m tall, who didn’t get a chance to hit him in the air. For 19-year-old Ruiz, the night was only going to get worse.
The second mistake was McVey’s horrible error and Julian Carranza, a former Inter Miami player, pocketed the ball from close range with a simple finish.
Shortly before half-time, Leon Flach rounded off a great team move with a powerful left-footed shot on the edge of the penalty area, but had all the time in the world to position himself and find his place. He also managed to make it 3-0 for Union.
There was a glimmer of hope for Miami early in the second half when Robert Taylor’s long-range shot deflected heavily in the 50th minute. But Union was too good and too organized to let Miami back in.
Later, the battered Miami defense failed to parry a ball over Mikael Uhre. He held the ball up and looked for Carranza but Luiz, running back, accidentally deflected the ball past goalkeeper Drake Callender, resulting in an own goal and Union’s fourth goal.
Jack McGlynn then hit the post with a powerful left-footed shot.
It was a tough night for Miami midfielder David Ruiz, who scored an own goal in the big loss
Miami now has a week to put the pieces together. Will caretaker manager Javier Morales, who is stepping in after Phil Neville’s sacking, stay on?
Off the pitch, Inter Miami find themselves in an exciting situation. Sergio Busquets is set to follow Messi through the entrance as confirmed by another stunning move by Jorge Mas and David Beckham on Friday night.
According to reports from Spain on Saturday, the team will step up efforts to sign Barcelona left-back Jordi Alba in what would be another landmark signing.
But the way things are going, 2023 will be a bust for the team they’re fielding. Things must change quickly.