ORLANDO, Fla. — Inter Miami visited in-state rival Orlando City for the Florida derby on Sunday — and things went south quickly.
Superstar Lionel Messi did not play due to a leg injury sustained in last Saturday’s Leagues Cup match.
Inter Miami conceded two minutes into the match but equalized just three minutes later.
The game was tied 1-1 at halftime.
Once the second half began, Inter Miami stood little chance.
Orlando went on to score three unanswered goals, winning the match 4-1.
Inter Miami manager Javier Mascherano spoke about what went wrong.
“Football is easy. Sometimes we make it more complex than it is,” Mascherano said. “When you’re not at 100%, any team can beat you, and today there was only one team: Orlando. We didn’t even play with the intensity needed to play this game, and they clearly outplayed us from the first minute to the last, save for some passages after the goal.”
Inter Miami now sits in sixth place, with three matches in hand on the top four clubs and two in hand on fifth-place Columbus Crew.
The Herons host reigning MLS champions LA Galaxy on Saturday.
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