Franco Panizo
| Special to the Post
FORT LAUDERDALE — What could have been a special night for South Florida soccer proved to be a painful and forgettable one, as Inter Miami missed a chance at a championship while its biggest star watched on helplessly.
Inter Miami suffered a significant blow on Wednesday night after losing the U.S. Open Cup Final against the Houston Dynamo, 2-1, at home at DRV PNK Stadium in front of the buzzing pink and black clad fans who were hoping to celebrate another title.
The frustrating letdown that left some Inter Miami players in tears also came without Lionel Messi on the field, as the superstar continued to deal with an injury issue that forced him into the role of spectator for one of the biggest games in team history.
Here are three takeaways from Inter Miami’s U.S. Open Cup Final defeat:
No Messi Magic to Rely On
The biggest storyline heading into the game was the status of Messi, who was a big question mark due to the “muscular fatigue” and “scar tissue issue” that have been plaguing him for several weeks now.
Head coach Tata Martino in Tuesday’s pre-game press conference did not rule out the possibility that Messi could play or even start against the Dynamo. Ultimately, the 36-year-old attacker was left out of the starting lineup and from the 18-man match-day roster entirely.
“It was not prudent for him to play. That much is clear,” Martino said in Spanish on Wednesday night. “We could not even take him into consideration for a few minutes because we would be taking risks.”
With no Messi to rely on, Inter Miami was left without its top goal-scorer and playmaker. His absence was profoundly felt. The Herons’ attack sputtered through the first half without the dynamic presence of the World Cup winner, who is capable of unlocking defenses with his trademark penetrating dribbles, eagle-like vision, superlative finishing and brilliant individual moments of magic.
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Facundo Farias was given some of the creative responsibilities that are usually assigned to Messi. But Farias never came close to being the type of magnetizing difference-maker that Inter Miami badly needed against a Dynamo team that was content to absorb pressure and hit on the counter with its speedy attackers.
Disjointed first half proved costly
Inter Miami finished the match on the front foot, but the same could not be said for how the team started.
The South Florida side delivered one of the worst halves it has played since the Messi era began, looking disjointed, confused, and overwhelmed en route to falling behind 2-0 through 33 minutes.
“It was not one of our best halves,” centerback Sergii Kryvtsov said.
Martino stated post-game that physical exhaustion was one of the reasons why Inter Miami struggled during the opening stanza, but another explanation could be that the team was underprepared.
Sources told The Palm Beach Post that Martino did not do a walkthrough with the anticipated starters during Tuesday’s training session, with the players unaware of who was going to be in the lineup until a pre-game meeting on Wednesday.
The lack of clarity in the starting 11 combined with some of Martino’s lineup and tactical decisions might have been the ingredients for that ugly opening stanza. The Argentine manager chose to deploy a new-look 4-5-1 formation in which Farias tucked in on the right while also fielding midfielder Diego Gomez, who had not played in three weeks.
Whether that was the principal reason or not for the sloppy start, the wasted first half proved costly as it put Inter Miami into a hole that was too big to climb out of.
“It is tough going into the second half 2-0 down,” goalkeeper Drake Callender said. “I think the rally in the second half was good from our team … but it was just not enough for us.”
All sights turn towards playoff push
Inter Miami’s grueling participation in other competitions this year is over, and now the team can strictly focus on trying to reach the MLS playoffs.
Inter Miami has five games left in the regular season, starting with Saturday’s home game against New York City FC; five points separate the South Florida side from the red line in the Eastern Conference.
With no other objectives or trophies to think about, Inter Miami will now be able to base every decision on trying to close that gap during this pivotal final stretch that includes four games against direct postseason competitors.
“We have to be in a mindset and physical (state) and energy-wise to be able to perform to get the points we need and make the playoffs,” Callender said.
How much Messi plays during this run is unclear, but the hope is that he returns to give Inter Miami a boost at some point.
“He will surely play again before the season ends,” Martino said. “We will take it game by game to define his situation and see at which moment the medical staff says he is ready to play without running any risks.”