Examining Inter Miami's Record Without Lionel Messi: No Argentine Star, Big Problem for MLS Club

• Lionel Messi joined Inter Miami last July and has transformed the club with his play
• Inter Miami have struggled without the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner in their lineup
• They have won just once in the nine matches they played without the Argentine star

Inter Miami are becoming overly reliant on Lionel Messi.

The Herons struggled yet again without the Argentine star in their lineup, losing 3-2 to CF Montreal on Sunday.

Sports Brief looks at how Inter Miami have performed without the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner in their lineup since he joined the club last year.

Messi's importance in 2023 season

The Messi effect was there for all to see when he joined Inter Miami in July 2023. He had a run of 12 matches in 48 days, during which the Herons went unbeaten.

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He helped Inter Miami capture their first-ever trophy during that period, winning the inaugural Leagues Cup after beating Nashville SC in the final. He also helped the Herons reach the final of the U.S. Open Cup.

Messi isn't getting any younger, though, and that intense schedule took a toll on his body. Issues first surfaced when he joined Argentina for their World Cup qualifying matches in September last year.

He underwent a medical check-up before flying to Bolivia for the World Cup qualifier, a game he eventually sat out.

Inter Miami had to face Sporting Kansas City while Messi was in South America for La Albiceleste. The Herons passed their first test without their captain in the lineup, beating Sporting KC 3-2 in their MLS encounter.

Games that Messi missed in 2023

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It all went downhill from there, though, as the Herons struggled mightily without their talisman in the lineup.

Messi controversially sat out the MLS game against Atlanta United on September 16, much to the fans' dismay, per Goal.com. Inter Miami opened the scoring in that contest but still lost 5-2.

Messi returned to the starting lineup the following game against Toronto FC on September 20 but his appearance didn't last long. He was replaced in the 37th minute by Robert Taylor after suffering an injury in the first half.

That forced him to miss Inter Miami's next four matches, including the US Open Cup final against the Houston Dynamo.

The Herons failed to win any of those games, recording two draws and one loss in the MLS regular season, and losing 2-1 to Houston in the US Open Cup final.

Messi returned to Inter Miami's lineup for the game against FC Cincinnati but his presence still wasn't enough to stop the Herons' winless run.

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They lost 1-0 in that contest, with the veteran playing just 55 minutes before being substituted.

Messi went on to miss Inter Miami's last two regular-season games against Charlotte FC, both of which they failed to win. They drew 2-2 with Charlotte on October 18 at home before losing to them 1-0 on the road on October 21.

Inter Miami won just once in the eight matches that they played without Messi in the lineup. These are games the Herons played in the MLS and the US Open Cup since the Argentine star made the switch to the United States.

Alarming trend continues in 2024 season

With Inter Miami playing lots of games in 2024, head coach, Gerardo Martino, has deemed it necessary to rest Messi in some of their matches to ease the burden on the star's 36-year-old body.

Martino picked Sunday's match against CF Montreal to rest the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, a decision that proved to be costly for the Herons.

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Inter Miami suffered their first defeat of the season, losing 3-2 to CF Montreal at home. They struggled without Messi, who was sidelined due to a shin issue, per Yahoo Sports.

Fernando Alvarez, Matias Coccaro, and Sunusi Ibrahim scored the goals for the visitors, who moved up to second place in the Eastern Conference.

Games that Messi missed in 2024

Inter Miami's loss on Sunday bolsters the argument that they have become too reliant on Messi.

The Herons have recorded one win, five losses, and three draws in the nine matches they have played without the Argentine star in their lineup dating back to last season. That's a lowly 11.1% win clip for the Herons.

They will need to address that issue for them to succeed this year.

Messi escapes serious injury after horror tackle

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Sports Brief recently reported on Messi escaping a serious injury in the game against Nashville.

He suffered a nasty challenge from Lukas MacNaughton, after taking a high boot to the left leg.