Inter Miami Drops U.S Open Cup Final Without Messi

Inter Miami was without their best player last Wednesday for the U.S Open Cup Championship. The missing piece was too much to overcome as the team lost to Houston Dynamo 2-1.

The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final occurred Wednesday night in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It was the 108 edition of the tournament.

The match started perfectly for Houston as they scored two goals in the first half. Griffin Dorsey scored in the 24th minute, and Amine Bassi followed with a score in the 33rd minute from a penalty kick. 

Inter Miami was not capable of gaining momentum. The team remained scoreless until the 91st minute, as Josef Martinez scored the team’s only goal. Houston secured the win and the team’s second U.S. Open Cup championship.

Lionel Messi missed the big game with a leg injury. Back on September 20th, during a match against Toronto FC, Messi left before the halftime break for what was believed to be a hamstring injury. 

Since then, Messi has missed three consecutive matches and has been ruled doubtful for Miami’s upcoming match against Chicago Fire FC this week.

There has been no indication of how extreme the injury is and how long Messi will be out. The injury has caused lots of frustration for MLS fans who paid to watch the legend play in a game. 

Since Messi’s injury, Miami is 0-1-2. Making the team winless without the superstar forward.