27 August 2023 , 06:00
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Inter Miami’s players have been warned they’ll need to get used to winning without Lionel Messi.
The David Beckham-owned franchise were bottom of the MLS Eastern Conference before they returned to league action against New York Red Bulls. They secured a 2-0 win to climb up the standings and keep their MLS Playoff hopes alive.
The win at Red Bull Arena came despite Messi and Sergio Busquets being left out of the starting lineup. Neither were introduced until just before the hour mark, at which point Miami were already 1-0 up and in control of the game.
Messi wrapped up the win late on as he finished a well-worked move with a simple tap-in in the 89th minute after his sumptuous through ball to Benjamin Cremaschi. But manager Tata Martino was delighted his side did most of the hard work without their talisman - and warned they’ll need to get used to it.
Martino said: “In reality, I think we ended up doing it with the help of the subs as well. Robbie Robinson, Yedlin, Messi, Busquets. The importance is that we are going to have to get used to winning in these situations.
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“Leo’s going to miss at least three games. He's going to get called up by his national team and others too, and we know the team needs to continue to win in these times.
“’I think it's the first time we played without him since the Cruz Azul match (Messi's debut). The response of the team without him was great for the first hour.
HARRISON, NJ - AUGUST 26: Lionel Messi #10 of Inter Miami CF enters the bench area prior to a game between Inter Miami CF and New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena on August 26, 2023 in Harrison, New Jersey. (Photo by Howard Smith/ISI Photos/Getty Images). (Howard Smith/ISI Photos/Getty Images)"We controlled the match for large portions and took the lead. We needed to do this so that we knew we could win without him. The response was satisfactory.”
Inter Miami won the Leagues Cup against SC Nashville last weekend and booked their spot in the U.S. Open Cup Final in midweek to keep their hopes of an unlikely treble alive. They’ll now need to put together a good run of league form to climb the table with some games in hand on the teams ahead of them.
They return to action against Nashville on Wednesday (August 30) with Messi set to make his first home appearance in MLS. They then face a trip to the West Coast to take on Los Angeles FC next weekend (Sunday, September 3).