Inter Miami settled for a 1-1 draw away at Orlando City in a tough match where they were missing a number of key players, and manager Tata Martino has explained why he is delighted with the result.
Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba were all missing as Miami found themselves under pressure against Orlando, and after taking the lead through David Ruiz, they were pegged back by Duncan McGuire, before holding out for the point.
Speaking after the game, Martino claimed that given the circumstances, a draw for Miami was an excellent result.
“We played with three kids from the academy and one of them scored,” Martino stated.
“We were able to get a draw; I think at some point we could’ve lost the game, but in another moment it was there for us.
Taking all of this into consideration, we’ll see if this point matters for what we’re ultimately trying to accomplish. But if you think about it solely for what the game was, truly I’m leaving very satisfied, because a great effort was made today.”
No Messi, no party
Miami have just one victory in their last three games, and this was the only game Messi appeared in as he was withdrawn against Toronto with an injury.
It is clear that there is an over-reliance on Messi within the team, and when he is absent, the results begin to take a turn for the worse.
Miami had one victory in 11 games prior to his arrival, and they then went 12 unbeaten before the heavy defeat to Atlanta United.
Whilst Miami did win a commendable point when under pressure at Orlando, Martino now needs to find a way for the side to secure victories without their star player.
Messi may not feature in the upcoming U.S. Open Cup final due to his injury, and this could be a huge problem for the side in such an important match.