Messi returned, but Inter Miami lost to Cincinnati

Lionel Messi’s return to MLS action finally happened, but his team failed to win in a fourth consecutive game in the Eastern Conference, this time losing 0-1 to the leaders in the standings – Cincinnati.

After 32 games, the Herons have been eliminated and practically have no chance to qualify for the playoffs.

Messi entered the field in the 56th minute when he replaced Tomas Aviles with the score still 0-0. However, his presence did not help Inter Miami score a goal. In the 78th minute, Alvaro Barea scored the only goal in the match for the Cincinnati team.

Inter Miami have been eliminated from the MLS playoffs ⛔️??

After their October 21st match, Inter Miami will NOT play another MLS game until late February.

More on this topic:

Inter Miami and Messi win first leg vs Atlanta in MLS Cup Playoffs

Since Messi’s debut, Inter Miami only won one of the six games he missed and only lost one of the 13 he’s played in. pic.twitter.com/VxbvSMILcf

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) October 8, 2023

Until the end of the regular season, Messi and company have two more games to play – both against Charlotte. The first is on October 18th (Wednesday) and the second is three days later on October 21nd (Saturday).