Even Lionel Messi's return to the pitch from injury wasn't enough to save Inter Miami's season. The Herons were eliminated from playoff contention as they lost 1-0 to FC Cincinnati at DRV PNK Stadium on Saturday behind a goal from Alvaro Barreal. Due to D.C. United and CF Montreal winning their matches, only a win would have kept their playoff hopes alive, but it was a night of poor execution in the rain as their hopes of a second trophy evaporated. The teams combined to hit the post five times during the match, and Messi's best chance came from a free kick that he skied.
Rusty after not featuring in Miami's last four matches, Saturday showed that there are some situations that even Messi's magic can't bail the Herons out of. Nonetheless, it was still a successful season that saw them win their first trophy in club history by defeating Nashville SC in the Leagues Cup.
While the Herons will face Charlotte FC twice during the next week before their official season comes to an end, a lot of these players will be on international duty while those matches take place. Lionel Messi, Facundo Farias, David Ruiz, Josef Martinez, Diego Gomez, Robert Taylor, Kamal Miller and Edison Azcona have all been called up to their respective national teams so Saturday was the last home match of the season for them. When they're away, Tata Martino will get a chance to look at some players deeper down his roster as the offseason will bring a lengthy evaluation of who will remain next season.
Here's what to know:
Why did Messi miss time?
During his time on international duty with Argentina last month, Messi reaggravated and old injury causing him to miss a World Cup qualifying match versus Bolivia. He did return to Miami and played versus Toronto FC on Sept. 20 but only played 37 minutes in that match. The Argentine would go on to miss four consecutive matches where Miami went winless. During that time the Herons lost control of their playoff destiny and couldn't afford to drop points in their remaining three matches while also needing help from the teams around them. While Messi had a few chances from free kicks during the match, even he was unable to turn the tide on Miami's season to keep them in playoff contention.
What's next?
While the offseason hasn't started yet, preparing for it starts now. Miami were able to build almost an entirely new roster in just a month and win a trophy. But they were lacking in critical depth in attacking and defensive positions as Major League Soccer has one of the most demanding schedules in the world. Now having qualified for Concacaf Champions Cup, the Herons will only have a more demanding road next season and they'll need to be prepared for that. Offering the ability to play with Messi, Sergio Busquests and Jordi Alba is one of the best recruiting tools in the world but evaluation needs to be done on who Martino would like to keep from the current roster. Miller has already signed a contract extension and ones for other key members of the team like goalkeeper Drake Callender may follow as well but tough decisions need to be made about players like Dixon Arroyo. They've been good enough to get Miami to this point but are they able to take the Herons into their next era?
