After suffering a 3-0 defeat to Orlando on Sunday night, Inter Miami’s struggles continued, marking a 1-5-1 record over its last seven matches in all competitions. Following the loss, Lionel Messi—an eight-time Ballon d’Or winner and 2022 World Cup champion—spoke briefly with Apple TV, emphasizing the need for the team to remain united, a rare post-game interview from the soccer legend.
“We’re going through a tough stretch, but we’ll get through it,” Messi said in Spanish. “This is when we’ll truly find out if we’re a real team. It’s easy when everything’s going well, but in moments like this, we have to come together, support one another more than ever, and push forward.”
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With the loss, Inter Miami’s MLS record dropped to 6-3-4 for the season, placing them sixth in the Eastern Conference standings. Just last year, Messi’s side made history with a league-best 22-4-8 regular-season record—finishing with the highest point total and win percentage in MLS history. The team’s four losses tied the record for fewest in a single MLS season.
But this season looks nothing like the way last season went.
“We’re coming off a period of bad results,” Messi said. “But we have to keep working and think about what’s next. With three or four games left in May, we (have to) finish the best possible way to be able to face the Club World Cup.”
That tournament starts June 14. It's the next big event on Inter Miami's calendar — but there may be some other news in the interim, with coach Javier Mascherano, in a separate Apple TV interview before the match, hinting that the team and Messi may be together longer than first thought.
Messi — who came to the club on a 2 1/2-year deal — is only under contract through the end of this MLS season, though the team has made clear it wants him around through at least 2026, when it plans to move into its long-awaited new stadium near Miami International Airport.
The team signed one of Messi's longtime Barcelona and Miami teammates, Jordi Alba, through 2027 last week in what seemed like a sign that keeping Messi may be possible.
"Hopefully in a few weeks we can have some news about Leo,” Mascherano said. “I think it will be very, very important for the club, the fans, and for MLS.”