Lionel Messi’s MLS season ends with Inter Miami loss to Charlotte FC

During the last game of Inter Miami's season on Saturday night, Lionel Messi participated in the whole match which took place on an artificial turf. Charlotte FC secured their spot in the MLS playoffs after scoring a single goal to win the game with a 1-0 score.

On the final day of the regular season, Messi and Charlotte's attempt to secure a spot in the postseason were both the center of attention. The game took place in the Bank of America Stadium, which can hold up to 74,000 spectators, and was witnessed by a crowd of 66,101.

Messi, who played a key role in Argentina's victory in the 2022 World Cup, was the main attraction, and many of the people present were wearing shirts with the number 10 and Messi's name on them.

In a game that didn't matter for Miami as they couldn't qualify for the playoffs, the highly acclaimed and skilled footballer, who has won the Ballon d’Or award seven times for being the best player in the world, played the entire game. During his time on the pitch, he attempted three shots and had two opportunities to score. Unfortunately, the goal he scored in the 49th minute was disallowed due to an offside call, and his attempt to score in the 62nd minute rebounded off the crossbar.

Miami's performance in the league has been mixed since Messi joined the team in July. Despite Messi scoring 11 goals in 14 matches this season, the team struggled to secure wins in their final six league matches, ending with three losses and three draws. Overall, Miami won four matches, lost four, and drew four.

Messi, who netted two goals for Argentina in their 2-0 victory over Peru during the World Cup qualifying match on Tuesday, skipped the makeup game against Charlotte the following day. He didn't speak to any reporters after the game. Throughout the past half-season with the team, Messi only had one chance to talk to the media, which was on August 17th.

Charlotte came through for their supporters. The team, in their second season, required a win against Miami and support from other outcomes to secure one of the remaining two playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. The Chicago Fire and CF Montreal both were defeated earlier on Saturday, leaving the door open for Charlotte to qualify for the playoffs with a win.

Charlotte secured a historic win after Kerwin Vargas scored a goal in the 13th minute. Despite previous instances of giving up late-game goals throughout the season, Charlotte managed to prevent Miami from scoring any goals.

By the end of the 2023 season, Charlotte is predicted to be in the second spot for league attendance. Charlotte FC had an average attendance of 33,634 leading up to their final regular-season game on Saturday.

Charlotte FC coach Christian Lattanzio commented that he believed the reason for the big turnout was due to the presence of Messi in town. Lattanzio hopes that as more people come to see Charlotte FC play, they will recognize that they have the ability to compete with top-tier teams from around the world.

I am extremely pleased with the performance of the lads. They have put in significant effort and dedication.

There's talk that Messi will join Inter Miami's lineup during two exhibition games in China on November 5th and 8th. This will be the first time the team heads abroad. Afterwards, the Argentinian team is scheduled to participate in World Cup qualifiers on November 16th and 21st. Once those matches are over, Messi is expected to take some time off before getting back to work with Inter Miami in preparation for future seasons, starting in 2024.

Gerardo Martino, coach for Inter Miami CF, mentioned that his squad completed the season feeling very tired due to their packed schedule.

Martino spoke with the assistance of a translator. He mentioned that the team had participated in three tournaments and were fortunate to win one of them. However, the team was feeling fatigued after all the games played. Despite this, he did not want to make excuses but accept the reality of the situation.