
<p>Lionel Messi returned to the field for Inter Miami as they fought Cincinnati on a rainy night. While the Argentine’s team had high hopes for the postseason, they ultimately fell short after a 1-0 defeat.</p>



<p>In spite of the Herons’ tough playoff odds, the atmosphere at DRV PNK Stadium was upbeat before the game since <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/january-loan-deal-mounting-for-messi-where-could-he-go-20231007-WST-461006.html">Lionel Messi</a> would be available again as a substitute.</p>



<p>The first half belonged to <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/inter-miami-tv-schedule/">Miami</a>, but despite having three good opportunities, they were unable to score, as all three attempts hit the woodwork.</p>



<p>Once the teams returned after the break, Cincinnati took control. The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner was sent out onto the pitch in a desperate attempt to break the deadlock. However, he could do very little since the away side finally scored with 10 minutes left on the clock.</p>



<p>Alvaro Barreal scored the go-ahead goal after Miami goalie Drake Callender mishandled a powerful attempt from Yuya Kubo. Despite their best efforts, the home team was unable to score the equalizer, much alone the game-winning goal they would have needed to keep their playoff hopes alive.</p>



<h5>How did Messi fare against Cincinnati?</h5>



<p>Messi’s two missed free kicks were his only significant contributions. Both attempts flew far past Roman Celentano’s crossbar in goal for Cincinnati, one in the 58th minute and the other in added time.</p>



<p>“His injury is healed, but his rhythm was just off”, Miami boss Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino remarked, via <a href="https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/38595842/lionel-messi-returns-inter-miami-squad-vs-fc-cincinnati" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ESPN</a>. “He hasn’t played much, that’s why I only played him 35 minutes.”</p>



<p>The Argentine veteran had played only 37 minutes total in his team’s previous six games leading up to Saturday, with Miami going winless five times without him.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Inter Miami have been eliminated from the MLS playoffs ⛔️🇺🇸<br><br>After their October 21st match, Inter Miami will NOT play another MLS game until late February.<br><br>Since Messi&apos;s debut, Inter Miami only won one of the six games he missed and only lost one of the 13 he&apos;s played in. <a href="https://t.co/VxbvSMILcf">pic.twitter.com/VxbvSMILcf</a></p>— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) <a href="https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1710836835553869949?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2023</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<h5>What now for Messi?</h5>



<p>The 36-year-old will report for international duties with <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/nations/argentina-national-team-tv-schedule/">Argentina</a> for their World Cup qualifying campaign. The defending champions host Paraguay on Thursday and travel to Peru the following week.</p>



<p>Meanwhile, Messi won’t play in the Herons’ next match, which comes on October 18 and is a makeup against Charlotte FC. </p>



<p>If he recovers in time, he could be able to play in the second game, which is scheduled for the last day of the regular season and takes place in North Carolina.</p>



<p>Photo credit: IMAGO / ZUMA Wire</p>


Messi's return not enough: Inter Miami fail to reach MLS playoffs

Inter Miami were eliminated from MLS playoff contention when Lionel Messi made his comeback in a 1-0 defeat to FC Cincinnati.

Messi's return not enough: Inter Miami fail to reach MLS playoffs - World Soccer Talk


<p>If one of the purposes of bringing Lionel Messi to <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/inter-miami-tv-schedule/">Inter Miami</a> is to bring interest to the league and get more <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tv/can-messi-be-the-impetus-for-apple-tv-and-mls-season-pass-20230725-WST-445077.html">viewers to MLS Season Pass</a>, then there is no doubt it’s been a success. Not only in the United States but throughout the world, Messi’s arrival has brought attention. Articles, YouTube highlight videos and talk shows are all about Messi, Messi, Inter Miami and more Messi. </p>



<p>The inaugural Leagues Cup is <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/inter-miamis-next-opponent-now-known-in-leagues-cup-20230730-WST-446487.html">entering its knockout phase</a> with 32 teams currently vying to lift the first-ever Leagues Cup trophy. So we potentially have five more Messi appearances with Inter Miami in the Leagues Cup alone followed by 12 MLS games and a U.S. Open Cup semifinal (with, obviously, a possible Final to follow).</p>



<p>But, while Messi and Inter Miami will undoubtedly draw in fans, who on the other side of the pitch is worth looking at on the opposing teams? There is plenty of talent that may pique your interest.</p>



<h5>Orlando City SC</h5>



<p>Inter Miami’s opponent in the Round of 32 of the Leagues Cup is Florida rivals Orlando City SC. The squad boasts 10 wins, seven draws and six losses in a total of 23 MLS games, good enough for seventh in the Supporters’ Shield.</p>



<p>There’s certainly no lack of talent on the squad starting with a young rookie straight out of college in Duncan McGuire. The young American leads Orlando City in the goal-scoring department this season with eight goals in 19 appearances. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="ck-youtube"><iframe loading="lazy" title="World Cup Watch Highlights: Facundo Torres | Best Goals, Assists, &amp; Skills" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aoba5HIfSDc?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>
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<p>Another player to keep an eye on is Uruguayan Facundo Torres. Another young talent (23) who was on the roster squad for Uruguay’s 2022 World Cup team. He wasn’t used during the World Cup but will feature soon for the national team. Almadad has performed well for <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/nations/uruguay-national-team-tv-schedule/">Uruguay</a> in their U15, U17 &amp; U20 squads.</p>



<h5>Charlotte FC</h5>



<p>While we don’t know Inter Miami’s future opponents in the Leagues Cup should they advance, the regular MLS season returns later in August and Inter Miami’s first opponent will be Charlotte FC. </p>



<p>The team has three players worth keeping an eye on, starting with Polish international Karol Swiderski. </p>



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<p>Swiderski has already faced Leo Messi in a match as <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/nations/poland-national-team-tv-schedule/">Poland</a> met <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/nations/argentina-national-team-tv-schedule/">Argentina</a> in the 2022 World Cup. The 25-year-old has 10 goals and six assists in 25 Charlotte FC appearances this season.</p>



<p>The second player worth a look at on this Charlotte FC side is Enzo Copetti. The 27-year-old will certainly relish the opportunity to play against fellow Argentinian Messi and Inter Miami. Copetti, signed from Racing Club in January this year, has immediately made his mark on the team with countless great performances.</p>



<p>The third player to watch is young American Ben Bender who is in his second season of what is a very promising professional career. Bender was named in the ‘Top 22 under 22’ list last season. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft has arguably been Charlotte’s best player this season.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Best of the best. Sky is the limit. 🚀<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/22U22?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#22U22</a> pres. by <a href="https://twitter.com/DrinkBODYARMOR?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DrinkBODYARMOR</a>: <a href="https://t.co/VfFu9bfejJ">https://t.co/VfFu9bfejJ</a> <a href="https://t.co/w0uFaEmO5S">pic.twitter.com/w0uFaEmO5S</a></p>— Major League Soccer (@MLS) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLS/status/1572254319671386112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 20, 2022</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<h5>Cincinnati FC</h5>



<p>Three days after what should be Lionel Messi’s MLS debut, Inter Miami will face Cincinnati FC in the semifinal of the U.S. Open Cup. Cincinnati is led by yet another Argentinian Luciano Acosta. </p>



<p>The 29-year-old joined MLS back in 2016 with DC United and joined Cincinnati in 2021 after a short stint in Liga MX with Atlas F.C.&nbsp;While small in stature (he’s only 5’3”), Acosta has proven to be a very productive forward with 12 goals this season in 22 appearances for Cincinnati.</p>



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<div class="ck-youtube"><iframe loading="lazy" title="Player Profile | Lucho Acosta" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-TGyQvGBmHs?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>
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<h5>New York City FC</h5>



<p>On the 27<sup>th</sup> of August, Inter Miami travel to New York City FC who have two very exciting young South Americans on the pitch: Uruguayan Santiago Rodriguez (23) and Brazilian Gabriel Pereira (22). Rodriguez has featured in all of Uruguay’s young squads from U15 to U20. Gabriel Pereira was brought up through the Corinthians youth system and made his first appearance for the club at 18.</p>



<h2>Messi and Inter Miami changing MLS and MLS Season Pass numbers</h2>



<p>After August, Inter Miami has nine more MLS regular season matches on tap. Messi’s stay in MLS will only be two-and-a-half years at most. It’s imperative that he <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/what-will-messis-impact-be-on-us-soccer-20230703-WST-441104.html?__vfz=medium%3Dstandalone_top_pages">leaves a mark</a> on American soccer that <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2017/01/12/mls-worst-designated-players-marquez-mista-reyna-denilson-mbolhi">many failed to do in the past</a>. </p>



<p>For it to be more than a short-term infatuation, fans must look beyond his incredible talents and find that he will leave behind one or two big stars as the torchbearers for the league. </p>



<p>So take the opportunity, while <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tv/messi-on-mls-season-pass-boosts-apple-tv-viewership-by-75-20230728-WST-446136.html">watching this incredible talent</a>, to cast an eye on others.</p>



<p>Messi is the now. But it’s those who he plays with and against that will determine the long-term success of MLS and soccer as a whole in North America.</p>



<p><em>PHOTO CREDITS: IMAGO / Agencia-MexSport</em></p>



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Although Leo Messi and Inter Miami are worth watching on MLS Season Pass, there are a few teams drawing audiences for all the right reasons.

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Messi's return not enough: Inter Miami fail to reach MLS playoffs

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