Inter Miami, without Lionel Messi, suffered its first defeat this Saturday since La Pulga arrived. Without the Argentine or Jordi Alba, the Florida team was beaten in their visit to Atlanta United, which destroyed the pink team 5-2. Ecuadorian Leonardo Campana scored both goals for Inter Miami, one of them from a penalty. But Atlanta United, led by Argentine Thiago Almada, was beaten with goals from Tristan Muyumba, Kamal Miller’s own goal, Brooks Lennon, Giorgos Giakoumakis and Tyler Wolff.
Inter Miami had gone twelve games in a row without losing (eleven wins and one draw) since Messi debuted. After winning its first title (Leagues Cup), Inter Miami faces another final in ten days, the US Open Cup, but still has work to do to qualify for the MLS playoffs in the Eastern Conference. With this setback, Inter Miami has 28 points after 27 games while DC United, which is ninth (last place for the playoffs), has 35 points in 29 games.
Argentine coach Gerardo Martino explained that the absence of his compatriot Lionel Messi and the Spaniard Jordi Alba from the match was due to the fact that both suffer from muscle fatigue, and he did not want to put them at risk. “They both have muscle fatigue. We ran the risk of having worse consequences if they came to play this match. It has nothing to do with the synthetic pitch,” explained the former Argentina, Paraguay and Mexico coach.
Martino recalled that his team will play the final of the US Open Cup against the Houston Dynamo in ten days. “We have the quest to try to reach the playoffs, but we have the game on the 27th and sometimes it is difficult to make decisions. These are also decisive matches, but the reality is that there is a final,” Martino explained.
“Leo will train tomorrow with Jordi. The rest are free. We will see it day by day. We don’t have emergencies. If he is well and confident he can play, but if this does not happen he will wait a few more days. It is very difficult because the final is a single game and we are there. It is very tempting to go for a title,” said the ‘Tata’.
