Inter Miami received their first defeat in MLS 2024 with a score of 2-3 against Montreal, when 37-year-old superstar Lionel Messi retired due to physical condition.

The busy schedule in the US made coach Tata Martino decide to rest Messi’s MLS round 4 match against Montreal on the evening of March 10, to preserve his strength for the CONCACAF Champions Cup return leg against Nashville three days later. Losing to Montreal may not have much impact on Miami’s championship ambitions in MLS, but defeat to Nashville will eliminate them from what is considered North America’s Champions League.

Messi sat in the stands with his wife and children at the beginning of the match when the score was 0-0, but in the end Inter Miami lost to visiting team Montreal 2-3, at Chase Stadium, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA on March 10/ 2024. Screenshots​

Because he was not registered, Messi sat in the stands with a shirt on, with his wife and children. The shin injury he suffered from being kicked by the Nashville defender was not too serious. However, the 37-year-old’s physical condition does not guarantee him playing every three days.

Not only Messi, midfielder Sergio Busquets and striker Luis Suarez were also only substitutes against Montreal, coming on the field in the second half. Among the former Barca players, only left back Jordi Alba started and he played the entire match, even scoring to shorten the gap to 2-3 in the 80th minute, but it was not enough to help the home team escape defeat.

Last season, Montreal ranked 20th out of 29 MLS teams, seven places ahead of Miami. But according to the Opta strength index , Montreal is ranked 303rd in the world, 99 places behind Miami. However, the away team opened the scoring again from the 13th minute. The home team equalized in the 71st minute thanks to striker Leonardo Campana, but then Montreal scored twice in four minutes to ensure the victory.

This is Miami ‘s first loss in 2024, not counting friendlies. In the first three rounds in MLS, they won two and drew one match, when Messi played and scored a goal. In the first leg of the 1/8 round of the CONCACAF Champions Cup, Messi and Suarez also shined to help Miami hold a 2-2 draw with Nashville in Tennessee.

Despite losing to Montreal, Miami is still at the top of the MLS 2024 East group, with seven points through four matches. However, they are playing one more game than other teams. Three days after rematching Nashville, Miami continued to meet host DC United in round five of MLS. After that, Messi will join the Argentina team in two friendly matches against El Salvador and Costa Rica in the US.