In Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Tadeo Allende struck early in the second half as Inter Miami clinched a 1-0 victory over Charlotte FC on Sunday, marking their third consecutive win even in the absence of Lionel Messi.
Lionel Messi, who last appeared in a match during the victory over Sporting Kansas City on February 25, has been sidelined due to fatigue as stated by coach Javier Mascherano. Despite Messi’s absence, chants of his name filled the stadium throughout the match as fans eagerly anticipated the possibility of witnessing the eight-time Ballon d’Or champion in action. To the disappointment of many, he remained on the bench.
“We considered giving Leo some minutes during the game,” Mascherano explained with the help of an interpreter. “But seeing how the game unfolded with us being a man down, we thought it wiser to conserve him and avoid any risk.”
Inter Miami had previously secured two victories without Messi: a 4-1 triumph over Houston and a 2-0 win against Cavalier FC in the opening leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup Round of 16. They are set to face Cavalier FC again on March 13 in Kingston, Jamaica.
Catching Charlotte off-guard, Tomas Aviles launched a long pass to Allende, who maneuvered it back to Luis Suárez. The seasoned striker returned the pass to Allende, allowing him to net his fourth goal of the season, putting Miami in the lead.
Allende has proven to be a significant asset for Miami in his debut season, having scored in each of his last four matches.
The match saw Miami goalkeeper Oscar Ustari receive a red card in the 38th minute after fouling Charlotte’s Wilfried Zaha outside the penalty area during a goal-scoring opportunity. Following this, backup goalkeeper Rocco Rios Novo stepped in, replacing midfielder Benjamin Cremaschi. Consequently, Miami played with ten men for the remainder of the game.
This season, Inter Miami has accumulated three red cards, the highest in the MLS. However, the team remains unbeaten in league play.
Despite controlling possession, corner kicks, and overall shots, with 13 corners to Miami’s 2 and 8 total shots to 4, Charlotte faced its first league defeat of the season.
Mascherano expressed pride in his team’s fighting spirit, stating, “I think today we showed a lot of team spirit. We need to continue in this way. Although the season is long and challenging, especially with an upcoming tough game in Jamaica, we have to be prepared and cannot afford to relax. In football, it boils down to either excuses or results, and we must place our trust in the results.”
