Inter Miami had been thrashed 4-1 by league leaders Nashville on Saturday, a defeat that noticed Lionel Messi miss his third penalty in a row as his facet slumped to a 3rd straight loss.
The Argentine had the prospect to degree at 1-1 within the twenty third minute, however Nashville goalkeeper Brian Schwake pushed his effort away from the underside proper nook. Sergio Reguilon buried the rebound, just for a video evaluation to chalk it off as a result of gamers had encroached into the field earlier than the kick.
ESPN statistics show that is the primary time since 2014 that Messi has failed to attain three penalties on the bounce.
Each of his different misses got here for Argentina on the World Cup this summer season, the primary towards Austria within the group stage and the second towards Egypt within the final 16.
His final MLS miss earlier than this run dated again to 13 September 2025.
Inter Miami had drawn degree after Andy Najar opened the scoring for Nashville within the seventeenth minute at Geodis Park. Messi slid a decisive cross via to Telasco Segovia, who beat his man with a beautiful piece of talent earlier than firing house in first-half stoppage time.
Nashville seized complete management after the break. Former MLS Most Worthwhile Participant Hany Mukhtar struck twice, both facet of a intelligent backheeled end from striker Sam Surridge.
Messi boiled over. He protested furiously to the referee {that a} foul in his favour had gone unpunished within the build-up to Surridge’s third, and picked up a yellow card for his hassle.
His luck ran out fully in second-half stoppage time. Each posts denied him in a single assault, and when he lastly compelled the ball over the road, the objective was dominated out for offside.
Inter Miami gifted Nashville the fourth. Goalkeeper Rocco Rios Novo slipped and was left stranded outdoors his field, and Schwake’s lengthy ball dropped to the onrushing Mukhtar, who rolled it into the empty web.
The reigning MLS Cup champions had arrived on the again of six unbeaten league video games. A win would have carried them high of the Jap Convention and the general Supporters’ Protect standings, above Nashville, however as a substitute the hosts stretched the hole to 5 factors with fifteen matches left within the common season.
Inter Miami had additionally misplaced their final two matches within the Leagues Cup, the event between MLS and the Mexican league, crashing out on the group stage earlier than the knockouts. Each defeats got here with Messi and striker Luis Suarez lacking from the beginning line-up.
Saturday marked Messi’s return to the beginning XI for the primary time for the reason that dying of his father Jorge per week in the past. He sat out the defeat to Monterrey and got here off the bench in Wednesday’s loss to Leon, whereas Suarez missed the Leagues Cup completely via suspension over incidents in final 12 months’s last.
Subsequent up is a visit to Philadelphia Union on Wednesday, the place Inter Miami will look to get again to successful methods.
