“Inter Miami, who opted to rest Lionel Messi, faced their inaugural loss since the Argentine’s arrival at the club, succumbing to a resounding 5-2 defeat against Atlanta United on Saturday. Messi, who did not travel to Atlanta, had been engaged in a demanding series of matches since debuting for Miami in late July.
Miami’s head coach, Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino, revealed after the match that Messi was dealing with ‘muscle fatigue,’ and bringing him into the game would have been ‘reckless.’ The 36-year-old superstar had missed Argentina’s World Cup qualifier against Bolivia in La Paz on Tuesday, opting to support his teammates from the sidelines.”
“Last week, Miami secured a 3-2 victory over Sporting Kansas City in the absence of Messi. However, this time, the narrative took a sharp turn for Martino’s squad.
Miami took the lead in the 25th minute through a brilliantly executed goal by the in-form Ecuadorian striker, Leonardo Campana. However, Atlanta, currently occupying the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference, responded emphatically with three goals in just eight minutes.”
A glancing header from French midfielder Tristan Muyumba, which kissed the inside of the post, was confirmed as a goal by the assistant referee, putting Miami ahead.
However, the tide quickly turned in Atlanta’s favor. Five minutes later, Atlanta took the lead as Brazilian winger Xande Silva advanced to the byline, and his cross deflected off Miami’s Kamal Miller into his net.
Miami’s defense, missing former Spain international left-back Jordi Alba due to muscle fatigue, struggled to regain their footing. Brooks Lennon added a third goal for Atlanta in the 44th minute with a beautifully struck shot.
Miami tried to mount a comeback, earning a penalty in the 54th minute, converted by Campana. However, unlike previous comebacks with Messi on the pitch, there was no resurgence this time.
As Miami pushed forward in search of an equalizer, Atlanta capitalized on the counter-attack, with Greek striker Giorgos Giakoumakis scoring his 14th goal of the season, tying him as the MLS’s joint top scorer.
In the 89th minute, another well-coordinated break led to Atlanta’s fifth goal, with Saba Lobzhanidze setting up Tyler Wolff for a powerful strike.
Despite the defeat, Miami remains second-to-last in the Eastern Conference, trailing D.C United, who holds the ninth-place playoff position, by six points.
Manager Martino defended the decision to leave Messi and Alba, who also had muscle fatigue, at home, citing a busy schedule with league matches on Wednesday and Sunday before the US Open Cup final on September 27.
In other matches, Eastern Conference leaders Cincinnati secured a 2-2 draw against last year’s MLS Cup runners-up, the Philadelphia Union, with a late equalizer.
Orlando City, in fine form, staged a remarkable comeback at home against Columbus, winning 4-3 after trailing 3-1. Ramiro Enrique leveled in the 86th minute and secured the victory deep into stoppage time.
In the Western Conference, Denis Bouanga scored twice for champions Los Angeles FC in a 4-2 win over cross-city rivals Los Angeles Galaxy. Bouanga’s second goal and a late strike from Timothy Tillman sealed the derby win.
The New England Revolution had a challenging week with the resignation of their head coach Bruce Arena, and they suffered a 2-1 defeat to Colorado, missing out on a playoff spot.
Lastly, the ‘Hudson River derby’ between New York City and New York Red Bulls ended in a goalless draw.
