About 90 minutes had passed since the final whistle at the Red Bull Arena as a new rendition by a new favorite began in New Jersey.
‘Messi, Messi, Messi,’ the audience chanted as they drifted off into the night. Not far from there, in a tent specially set up for Inter Miami’s visit, Tata Martino had the same name on his lips.
But after a first win in 12 Major League Soccer games – a 2-0 victory that took Miami off the foot of the Eastern Conference – Martino wanted to talk about life without his talisman.
Between Messi’s debut five weeks ago and Saturday night’s visit to New York Red Bulls, the 36-year-old had missed just 12 minutes of football. He had led Inter Miami to eight straight wins and a first-ever trophy. He had scored in all but one game and the only time Messi scored a clean sheet he made up for it with two assists.
So Saturday’s trip to New Jersey provided an interesting experiment. For the first time, Miami had to do without Messi for a while. The 36-year-old sat out the first hour of his MLS debut. For the 26,000 supporters – many of whom had paid eye-watering sums to be there – it was a bitter pill to swallow. However, it was a useful lesson for Messi’s teammates.
Lionel Messi came on as a substitute for Inter Miami in the MLS match against New York Red Bulls on Saturday
Messi rested alongside midfielder Sergio Busquets in his first MLS match
But he came on in the second half and scored as his team secured a 2-0 victory on Saturday
“Today was a good test for us,” defender Kamal Miller said afterwards. Because, as Martino pointed out, this team has to get used to going its own way.
The first indication of Miami’s future-proofing came on Friday, when it emerged that Messi’s 10-year-old son had joined the club’s academy. Unfortunately, Martino has more immediate needs: If Miami is to have any hope of reaching the postseason, other players will have to step up — and quickly.
Argentina’s World Cup qualifying campaign continues with matches against Ecuador (September 7) and Bolivia (September 12). That will rule Messi out of Miami’s game against Sporting Kansas City on September 9.
On either side of that, Martino’s squad faces LAFC on September 3 and Atlanta United on September 16. Should Miami reach the postseason, Messi’s international commitments could once again get in the way.
Martino plans to play ‘at least three games… and more games’ without him.” Saturday night was the first sign that time will occasionally catch up with Messi as well. The 36-year-old was left out of the starting line-up as he had reached a physical ‘limit’.
With Miami facing 12 games before October 21, Martino may be forced to protect his superstar once again. That’s why it felt so important that the much-changed Miami side were leading 1-0 by the time Messi came on and sealed the victory late on. No Messi, no Sergio Busquets, no problem?
“We know the team has to keep winning in these times,” said Martino. “It’s the first time we’ve played without him since the game against Cruz Azul (Messi’s debut). The team’s reaction without him was great for the first hour,” he added. “We controlled the game for a large part and took the lead. We had to do this so we knew we could win without him.’
Miller agreed. “Even if he hadn’t scored, we could have kept the result 1-0… it’s a great feeling, because as a player, of course, you hear and see everyone talking: ‘Oh, Messi carries the team, Messi does this , Messi does that,” the defender explained.
Kamal Miller (left) was pleased with the way his team proved they can manage without Messi
Diego Gomez came on in Messi’s absence and scored the first goal in Miami’s 2-0 win
But Miami will have to learn to live without Messi due to his Argentinian commitments
“That’s true… I think he would carry any team he gets to work with, so that’s no offense to us. But just to reassure ourselves and reassure our identity and tactics so that we can get the job done, whoever is on the field, it feels good.”
Messi is obviously one of the three great players who have taken Miami to a new level. He combined with Busquets and Jordi Alba – the only one to start Saturday’s win – for his late goal.
However, it was Diego Gomez who set the team on its way. The 20-year-old Paraguayan is part of another important trio, alongside Facundo Farías and Tomas Aviles: three new arrivals – all under 22 years old, all from South America. All handpicked by Martino. All three started on Saturday.
Gomez, 20, impressed in midfield and scored on his own MLS debut. Others have also ridden the wave of Messi’s arrival. Robert Taylor and Benjamin Cremaschi are among those in the spotlight.
Cremaschi put the ball on a backboard for Messi to score his late goal. The problem Miami will have? Finding someone who can recreate the Messi magic that created the opportunity. Who else could find that piece of space in the area? Who else sees the pass that Messi passes to Cresmachi?
“When he’s not on the pitch, we know everyone has to step up and take control of the game and maybe beat an extra man, rather than giving him the ball when he’s there,” said Miller. ‘
When he’s on the pitch, we try to build up the ball, attract the other team and get the ball to him in some dangerous spots so he can make it happen from there. He doesn’t need any help… so it’s a good balance between both when he’s on the field and when he’s off the field. Today was a great test for us to start the game without him and find ourselves.” More tests are coming soon.