Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets—that’s basically more than half of what FC Barcelona had at their disposal years ago to win all kinds of prestigious trophies, fighting against tough European sides. So, it would be natural for Inter Miami to expect a similar display from these stars after they managed to bring this quartet to the MLS. But talk about a dud, as today, the Herons have been blamed for one of the ‘biggest failures.’ And it’s not just in MLS history but in North American sports!

To give you a bit of a recap, last year, the midseason arrival of Messi, Busquets, and Alba significantly helped them win the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. But it didn’t help in their MLS playoffs quest, finishing 14th in the Eastern Conference. This year though, the addition of Suarez made them favorites for every trophy Miami would contest for. While they managed to win the 2024 MLS Shield with a record 74 points, the playoffs saw a different story.

In an MLS final where Inter Miami and Lionel Messi were expected to feature, fans were instead treated to a matchup between LA Galaxy and NY Red Bulls. It led to Greg Vanney’s Californian side securing a 2-1 victory. So it’s obvious for many ardent fans and pundits alike to be left fuming over their blunders. This included former USMNT icon Herculez Gomez. He didn’t shy away from taking a dig at Messi and Co.

“Inter Miami has the best player of all time on their roster, who by the way is league MVP,” began the ex-forward on the latest podcast episode of ESPN’s Futbol Americas. “They gave you keys of the kingdom, not to bow out in three games to Atlanta United, to a 9th place team, to Rob Valentino who no longer was the team interim coach at Atlanta United. In three games, they couldn’t beat Brad Guzan.”

Notably, Tata Martino and Co. suffered consecutive 2-1 and 2-3 defeats. This came after an opening 2-1 win over Atlanta United during their road to the MLS playoffs. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough for them to stay in the race for the Championship title. It led to an early exit instead—something Gomez isn’t ready to let slide easily.

“It’s one of the biggest failures in MLS’ history and you damn well know. Every exec Don Garber, whatever hair he had on top of his head was pulling it out, you had one job. It’s one of the biggest failures I’ve seen in North American sports in quite some time,” concluded the former American striker.

The dust doesn’t seem to have settled for many MLS viewers including Herc Gomez. His expectations from Miami and Messi took a huge hit. We aren’t surprised, considering how things have been made easy for La Pulga since his arrival.

Lionel Messi and Inter Miami’s failure is a worrying matter for the reflection of the MLS

Just imagine the magnitude of the defeat. The Argentine got equity in the team. He has partial ownership of Inter Miami. In addition, he receives a share of the MLS season pass subscription, Adidas money, and whatnot. Lionel Messi had everything in his team to win the MLS championship. However, it certainly didn’t turn out as anticipated.

A player of Messi’s caliber, reigniting a partnership with his former Barcelona teammates in Fort Lauderdale, was expected to lead to immaculate success. While winning the Open Cup and the Shield in two years isn’t bad, missing out on the playoffs became problematic. Not to mention, they are also part of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.

If they don’t perform there as well, it reflect poorly not just on Messi and Miami but also on MLS. Regardless, one can only hope that with the preparation for the new season under new coach Javier Mascherano (another Barcelona reunion), Inter Miami and Lionel Messi manage to live up to expectations.