Getty ImagesMessi has been MLS's best player this season, but that won't guarantee success for Miami in their title hunt
There was no way Lionel Messi could miss, right? The 2016 Copa America final, 82,000 fans watching. Finally, his moment for country. Viva la Albiceleste. But as Messi stepped up against Chile, he skied his shot, sending it deep into the MetLife stands. Chile win. Messi retires (well, at least temporarily).
Of course, there was the comeback, the World Cup win, the 8th Ballon d’Or. In 2022, he completed football. That miss against Chile was rendered irrelevant, at least in the record books.
Still, there is this indisputable fact: Messi isn’t quite his usual, devastating self in knockout football. Whether it be early struggles for Barcelona, disappearing acts for PSG, or a disappointing series of showings in this year’s Copa America, Inter Miami’s main man isn’t the same unstoppable force in elimination games.
And for an Inter Miami side looking to win its first MLS Cup, that pattern – should it continue – could be a real cause for concern.
