Inter Miami were once again held to a draw on the road with Lionel Messi and company sharing the points away to New York City FC.
Messi’s first time playing at Yankee Stadium with the Herons, the Argentine international struggled to get going against New York as Leonardo Campana scored the sole goal for Inter Miami as James Sands leveled the game up with the final touch of the match.
Although Messi was involved in the build-up for Inter Miami’s goal, it was overall a disappointing game for the 37-year-old attacker, who struggled greatly on the infamous New York City home pitch which is difficult to play on.
And MLS expert Matt Doyle believes Saturday’s performance was Messi’s worst since joining Inter Miami.
Messi ‘bad’ in Inter Miami’s 1-1 draw vs New York City
Writing for MLS’s official website, the pundit noted how Messi failed the eye test for Inter Miami in their draw against New York City, with the veteran forward looking sloppy on the ball and failing to create much from the midfield.
Indeed, Messi might be the greatest of all time, but every player endures their bad days at the office, and the Inter Miami captain certainly suffered this on Saturday in the Bronx, where New York City got the better of the Argentine and the Herons as a whole.
Doyle wrote: “I don’t usually pay attention to FotMob ratings, but I saw it going around social media that Lionel Messi had his worst performance as a Miami player as per the FotMob scorecard and, well, that matched the eye test from Miami’s 1-1 draw in the Bronx.
“Messi was as guilty as anyone else in that Herons’ midfield for the bushels of sloppy touches and no-pressure miscontrols that kept gifting the Pigeons possession. Even though he picked up an assist on Miami’s only goal, the GOAT was… bad. So the 1-1, which came via a James Sands header at the death (his first-ever regular-season goal), was deserved.”
Messi will be itching to get back in form on Saturday
Messi endured a rough game this weekend at Yankee Stadium, yet the Inter Miami star is one of the most determined athletes on the planet when it comes to wanting to put on a show for his team and his fans.
And this Saturday against Charlotte FC, Messi will be itching to get back in form with Inter Miami still in the hunt for the MLS regular season points record, with ten needed from their final four games to break the record.
Having performed so poorly in the Big Apple, Messi will be keen to get back to his best on Saturday back at Chase Stadium, and Inter Miami fans will want to see the 37-year-old at his absolute best in Florida.