Inter Miami succumbed 3-1 to Atlanta United in their Tuesday night outing, ending the Herons' 10-match unbeaten streak in MLS despite enjoying a spectacular goal by a red-hot Lionel Messi.
Besides the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, former Barcelona teammates Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba also featured in Miami's starting lineup.
Atlanta's Saba Lobjanidze opened the scoring right before the break and went on to double the visitors' lead in the 59th minute.
Messi halved his side's deficit shortly after with a powerful, low effort from outside the penalty area, sending the ball past former Maccabi Haifa goalkeeper Josh Cohen and into the far-right corner.
However, the Argentine magician's strike failed to inspire a comeback for Miami, with Jamal Thiaré restoring Atlanta's two-goal cushion in the 73rd minute.
Inter Miami remains at the top of the Eastern Conference standings despite the loss, but their recent run of success was halted.
Inter coach Gerardo Martino admitted that the team was lacking in performance during the match against Atlanta United.
The Argentinian superstar has scored 13 goals and provided 11 assists in 14 games this season for Inter Miami, and is closing in on the club's top scorer Gonzalo Higuain.
Messi will join Argentina's national team for the Copa América tournament, potentially missing upcoming MLS games, as MLS schedules games during FIFA fixture periods.
This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq
Sources: CBS News, Sportstar, Terra, ESPN, Orissa Post, Zakon, RSport, Devdiscourse, Irish News, News18, Gazette, Fox Sports.