Inter Miami lost the US National Cup final without Messi

USA On the day captain striker Lionel Messi was sidelined due to injury, Inter Miami lost 1-2 to Houston Dynamo in the 2023 American National Cup final.

Goals: Josef Martinez 90'+2 - Griffin Dorsey 24', Amine Bassi pen 33'

At the pre-match press conference, coach Gerardo Martino said he could accept the risk to use Messi in the confrontation that could bring Inter Miami its second title this season. But at the last minute, the Argentine coach decided not to take any risks and had to remove the 36-year-old striker from the registration list.

Busquets applauded the fans after the final loss to Houston on the evening of September 27. Photo: Inter Miami

Messi had physical problems when playing in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers for Argentina in South America in early September. He scored the only goal and then left the field at the end of the win over Ecuador and sat out the trip to Bolivia.

After returning to Inter Miami, Messi continued to rest for the Atlanta United match in MLS on September 16. Four days later, he played 37 minutes and left the field with limp legs in the match against Toronto FC, and continued to be absent in the 1-1 draw with Orlando City three days ago.

Sitting in the DRV PNK stands last night, Messi watched Inter Miami fall to Houston Dynamo. In the first half, the home team only missed the target once, which was Benjamin Cremaschi's shot over the bar in the 42nd minute. Meanwhile, Houston finished 18 times with five shots on target and scored two goals.

In the 24th minute, Artur dropped the ball just enough for Griffin Dorsey to escape down the right wing and then hit the roof of goalkeeper Drake Callender's net. About seven minutes later, captain DeAndre Yedlin brought down Nelson Quinones in the penalty area and referee Jon Freemon awarded a penalty to the away team. On the 11m mark, Amine Bassi shot low towards the center of the goal, while Callender fell to the right.

In the second half, Houston slackened but still appeared dangerous. From a counterattack in the 73rd minute, Nelson Quinones penetrated the penalty area on the left wing and beat Callender with an angled shot. But after consulting VAR, the referee rejected the goal due to offside.

All of Inter Miami's efforts were only rewarded in the first minute of compensation. Facundo Farias flicked the ball to substitute striker Josef Martinez to break the offside trap, cross down and put the ball past Houston Dynamo's goalkeeper.

This defeat caused Inter Miami to miss the opportunity to win the second title in the club's history, after the 2023 Leagues Cup, and only had the ambition to win tickets to MLS Playoffs for the rest of the season. Messi and his teammates are currently ranked 14th with 32 points, five points behind New York City's ninth place - the last place in the round of 16 Playoffs - but played two fewer matches. Inter Miami will meet New York City in the next round on October 1.

Meanwhile, a 2-1 victory was enough for Houston Dynamo to win the American National Cup for the second time, after 2018. They also won the MLS championship twice in 2016 and 2017.