Scoreless for first time in the Messi era, Inter Miami ties Nashville

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Inter Miami failed to attain for the primary time since Lionel Messi joined the group, enjoying a scoreless draw with Nashville on Wednesday night time.

Messi didn’t convert two free kick makes an attempt in his first Major League Soccer match at residence, and it was the primary time throughout his Inter Miami tenure that he was saved off the rating sheet.

Inter Miami nonetheless earned some extent within the standings because it appears to make a late-season playoff push. Miami entered the sport 11 factors shy of the MLS playoff line and needing to maneuver up from 14th to ninth place to make the playoffs with 11 regular-season matches left.

Miami had received its earlier 9 matches as Messi’s addition gave the group an instantaneous enhance. He has scored 11 objectives, together with three multi-goal performances.

Inter Miami coach Tata Martino mentioned regardless of its success, the group remains to be gelling after present process so many adjustments over the previous two months.

Miami employed Martino in June, weeks after firing Phil Neville. Miami had the worst file of the 15 Eastern Conference groups on the time, however with Messi received all seven of its Leagues Cup matches and its U.S. Open Cup semifinal match. Since Messi’s arrival, the membership additionally signed his former Barcelona teammates, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.

“We really haven’t had a full week working with this team,” Martino mentioned. “Even with the evolution of this team through Leagues Cup and Open Cup, the fact that we play every four days hasn’t allowed us enough time, the necessary time, to train and continue building this group. But what we’ve been able to do is correct through videos and see the improvements through the games.”

Messi began the sport Wednesday together with Busquets after the 2 entered Miami’s earlier match in opposition to the New York Red Bulls within the sixtieth minute.

Miami had no photographs on objective Wednesday via the primary 60 minutes because the group struggled to interrupt via Nashville’s defence.

Messi tried a free kick within the 61st minute after drawing a foul on Nashville’s Dax McCarty, however the shot to the bottom-left nook was stopped by Elliot Panicco.

Still, Inter Miami followers took out their telephones to file the free kick, simply in case the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner delivered one other objective just like the one in his debut — when he scored within the 94th minute to offer Miami a win over Mexico’s Cruz Azul within the Leagues Cup opener.

Nashville’s Hany Mukhtar had a objective erased by an offside name within the 69th minute.

Messi acquired one other probability within the 83rd minute, however the shot bounced off the wall of defenders.

“They sat back with nine, 10 guys at a time,” mentioned Miami’s Kamal Miller, who made a number of performs all through the match. “Pretty frustrating, but we have to get used to it. That’s probably what most teams are going to do against us now.”

Martino echoed these statements postgame, pointing to Nashville’s defence because the distinction within the sport.

“I think when you put many players close to your own goal, normally you’re going to have a good chance at keeping a clean sheet,” Martino mentioned.

With Nashville packed in close to the objective, Miller mentioned it was powerful to get Messi the identical appears he’d been getting earlier than. He added that the group can’t depart all of it as much as Messi, particularly if Nashville offered a profitable defensive blueprint for Inter Miami’s future opponents to comply with.

“It’s really the first time a team did that to us so blatantly,” Miller mentioned. “We’re going to look back at the film, and I’m sure the coaching staff is going to come up with ways for us to break the other team down. I think the basic answer is just moving the ball faster.”

The two groups met 10 days in the past within the Leagues Cup ultimate. Messi scored early in regulation and transformed the primary shot in penalty kicks, and Miami received after an 11-round penalty kicks shootout for its first-ever trophy.

Messi and Inter Miami gamers posed with co-owner Jorge Mas on the sector Wednesday with the Leagues Cup trophy for the primary time in entrance of their residence followers.