FORT LAUDERDALE.- Lionel Messi scored again, but Inter Miami saw their 10-game unbeaten streak in MLS ended after losing to Atlanta United, which earned its first league victory in almost two months.
Saba Lobjanidze scored a goal in each half, Jamal Thiaré helped put the game away with a goal in the 73rd minute and Atlanta United won on Wednesday after nine games without a win, with a score of 3-1.
Atlanta United entered the match with five losses and four draws since defeating Chicago 3-0 on March 31, but was never behind on the scoreboard on Wednesday. After Messi's score, Atlanta United closed ranks in their half of the field each time the hosts had prolonged possession during the final 30 minutes.
Messi scored his eleventh goal of the season, tying Luis Suárez as the team's leading scorer. Inter Miami (34 points) maintained its one-point lead at the top of the Eastern Conference and in the overall MLS standings over Cincinnati (33 points), which fell to Nashville on the day and lost its chance to be at the top of the league.
“The first feeling is that we needed one more march compared to Atlanta,†commented Inter's Argentine coach, Gerardo Martino. “That was evident averaging the first half and throughout the second half. It was a night in which the team regressed compared to other games, where we always found positive moments.†.
Inter Miami entered Wednesday with a record of seven wins and three draws in its last 10 MLS games.
Exactly halfway through the MLS schedule, Inter Miami expects Messi to play at least a few minutes against St. Louis on Saturday. After that, the star will change Inter Miami's pink uniform for Argentina's albiceleste for the Copa America.
The 16-team tournament will take place from June 20 to July 14, with Messi set to play for defending champion Argentina and Suarez with a chance to play for Uruguay. MLS games may be missed when Inter Miami visits Philadelphia (June 15), Columbus (June 19), Nashville (June 29), Charlotte (July 3), Cincinnati (July 6), and then host Toronto (July 17) and Chicago (July 20) at home.
Anger of “Tata”:
Martino was upset by a question about whether Messi was “saving himself” for the continental tournament.
“I cannot answer those speculations that have no basis whatsoever,†he responded.
Unlike most leagues, MLS schedules games during FIFA dates, so even after the Cup, it seems likely that Inter Miami will lose some players again when the national teams call for the Olympic Games. Paris.
