With Lionel Messi starting, Inter Miami lost 1-0 to Los Angeles FC in the first leg of their Concacaf Champions League quarterfinals, meaning they must win the rematch next Wednesday to stay in the competition.
A lone goal from Nathan Ordaz with a long-range shot midway through the second half resulted in the first loss for “Las Garzas” under Javier Mascherano. The rematch will be next week at Chase Stadium in Miami. The winner of this tie will face the winner of the Vancouver Whitecaps-Pumas semi-final, after the Whitecaps drew 1-1 in the first leg in Canada.
While Inter Miami dominated and had the most opportunities in the first half, Los Angeles FC took control of the match in the second half when they took the lead. Messi, who hadn’t started since the 2-1 win over Atlanta more than 15 days ago, played from the start, was very active from midfield forward. Opponents controlled him for periods of the match, committing a few fouls, and although he had free kicks near the penalty area, he wasn’t sharp enough to finish. Lionel Scaloni was in the stands and took the opportunity to check on the Argentine national team captain’s performance.
Both teams will be active this weekend, as Los Angeles FC will visit the Houston Dynamo on Saturday, while Inter Miami will host Toronto FC on Sunday, after which they will focus on the return leg next Wednesday. Javier Mascherano’s team came into this match in good form and after recovering Messi, who recovered from a muscle strain that kept him out of recent matches, including the double-header matches of the qualifying rounds with the Argentine national team.
