Inter Miami suffered a 3-2 defeat to Columbus Crew, knocking them out of the Leagues Cup quarterfinals.
Inter Miami had won the Leagues Cup last season thanks to Lionel Messi, marking the first-ever trophy in the club’s history, owned by David Beckham.
Messi has been absent from Inter Miami for the past two months due to his participation in the Copa America with Argentina and a subsequent injury in the final that has kept him sidelined until now.
In Messi’s absence, Inter Miami failed to defend their Leagues Cup title despite the presence of other stars like Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba in Tata Martino’s squad.
Inter Miami took a two-goal lead but conceded three goals in just 13 minutes, eliminating the defending champions and ending their hopes of winning their second-ever trophy.
The return date of Messi to the field remains unknown due to the severity of his ankle injury, but Inter Miami still has a chance to compete for the MLS title.
It is worth noting that Inter Miami currently tops the Eastern Conference in the MLS. If they continue their form, they will qualify for the decisive playoffs against the Western Conference champions.
