Inter Miami, led by Argentine star Lionel Andrés Messi, lost the Florida derby 3-0 to Orlando City on Matchday 19 of Major League Soccer at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.
The team coached by Javier Mascherano, whose continuity was under scrutiny after the tough defeat in the home derby, continues to fall short in crucial matches. They are coming off a knockout in the semifinals of the Concacaf Champions League and have only won one of their last seven matches.
In a match full of Argentines, the opening goal came from a combination of South Americans. From the goal, Peruvian Pedro Gallese volleyed and assisted Colombian Luis Muriel.
The forward beat the “Garzas” defense, controlled the ball in the three-quarters of the field, and went one-on-one with Oscar Ustari, whom he ultimately beat with a cross in the 43rd minute of the first half.
After falling behind, the “Garzas,” who started with Argentines Ustari, Gonzalo Luján, Tadeo Allende, and the aforementioned Messi, tried to equalize but struggled to gain attacking power with Uruguayan Luis Suárez at center forward and paid dearly for their weak defense.
In the second half, and with a strong burst from “Los Leones,” who lined up with Argentines Rodrigo Schlegel and Martín Ojeda and later brought on Ramiro Enrique, they scored the second goal thanks to Inter’s weak defense.
After Colombian Muriel left three players in the dust, Ojeda played for former Godoy Cruz player Ojeda, who sent a low cross. After a few rebounds, Croatian Marco Pašalić charged forward, shot wide, and the ball slipped through Ustari’s hands and ended up going in off the goalpost.
With two goals in their favor, Orlando dropped back several meters and passed the ball to the “Garzas,” who, with Messi as their standard-bearer, went in search of a goal but were unable to beat goalkeeper Gallese, who kept his goal out of the net on several occasions. And, when Inter Miami was playing on offense, in the third minute of added time, Icelander Dagur Dan Þórhallsson went on a counterattack and ended up sealing the match, scoring his team’s third goal against Ustari, who had a night to forget.
The worried and frustrated faces of Mascherano and Messi express the poor state of play for Inter Miami on the eve of the Club World Cup. They are sixth in the Eastern Conference in MLS, still in the playoffs (seven qualify per zone), have 22 points, and are seven behind the leader, Cincinnati, who have 29.
