What is Inter Miami’s record with and without Lionel Messi?

Inter Miami fell to their first defeat of 2024 on Sunday evening, a home loss to a CF Montreal side who traditionally struggle away from home. It was the worst performance we’ve seen from the Herons this season and came, perhaps predictably, in their first game without Lionel Messi in the team.

Now 36 years old, Messi is no longer able to participate in every single fixture and Miami are aware of the need to preserve their crown jewel. Miami are expected to go deep in three comPetitions and qualify for the MLS playoffs, while Messi will also be flying off to represent Argentina at key points of the season.

In short, Miami must learn how to succeed without Messi’s generational talents, but don’t seem to have found the formula just yet.

Inter Miami’s record without Lionel Messi

After the 3-2 home loss to Montreal, Miami head coach Tata Martino revealed that he had decided some time ago that Messi would be rested against Montreal. The Argentine has been a catalyst for change in Southern Florida but the Herons continue to struggle when he is not on the field.

“We discussed this about a week ago. We agreed that this was the game he should rest, independent of what happened in the game against Nashville,” the Argentinian tactician told reporters. “[The media] asked 10 days ago if I planned to rotate; we rotated.”

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The Montreal clash was Inter Miami’s fifth comPetitive fixture of 2024 and it was the first that finished in defeat for the Herons. Since making his debut for Inter Miami, Lionel Messi has featured in 18 Games and the team have won 14 of them. The Argentine has missed eight matches over that period and Miami have won just once in his absence.

The difference in win percentage is a stark one. With Messi in the team Inter Miami win 77.8% of the time. When Messi is absent the win percentage falls to 12.5%. To put that in a wider context, 2023 MLS wooden spoon winners FC Toronto ended the league campaign with a 11.8% win percentage.

Inter Miami need to adapt without Messi

In professional basketball the ‘Ewing Theory’ contends that teams can sometimes improve when they lose a star player. The claim - based around Patrick Ewing’s departure from the New York Knicks - suggests that other players can feel freer and the team can function more smoothly without one superstar player dictating every play.

Regardless of whether that theory holds in the NBA, it certainly doesn’t seem to apply to Inter Miami’s experiences without Lionel Messi. The Herons look lost without his on-field leadership and ability to conjure offensive opportunities from nothing. Tata Martino said recently that he is looking for new ways for his team to function without Messi, to help ease the burden on his captain’s aging shoulders.

“The Orlando game in last year’s Leagues Cup was a game where he found the ball many times in the final quarter of the field, before finishing the play. He even scored a goal in the six-yard box. That is what we have to get back to, the team finding him to finish the plays,” Martino explained.

“I feel that in the [first] two 2024 Games he has had too much wear and tear. It is my responsibility to make the team work in such a way that we can use him differently,” the Inter Miami head coach added.

For now, Tata Martino and his team to revert to ‘Plan A’ in their upcoming CONCACAF Champions Cup fixture. Lionel Messi will be back in the team to face Nashville SC on Wednesday evening and the Herons can secure passage to the next round of the CONCACAF competition with a win.