Inter Miami lost 2-0 to the New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena, ending a three-match winning streak. The defeat left Miami second in the Eastern Conference, 15 points behind Nashville, who had clinched the Supporters’ Shield earlier in the day.
How the goals came
Casemiro scored an own goal seven minutes into the match while trying to deal with a cross from Cade Cowell. Emil Forsberg made it 2-0 in second-half stoppage time from a pass by Cameron Harper.
Messi's role
Lionel Messi started on the bench and came on in the 56th minute. Cristian “Kily” González said Messi not starting had been agreed beforehand to avoid injury risk with another match coming on Wednesday while still giving him some minutes.
Match numbers
Inter Miami had 62.5% of the possession and two shots on target, while New York created 18 shot attempts. The result ended a run of 13 straight games for club and country in which Messi had scored or assisted.
Standings and next game
New York moved into a playoff position with three games of the regular season remaining. Inter Miami's next match is against FC Cincinnati on Wednesday.