Lionel Messi and Co were knocked out of the Concacaf Champions Cup on Wedneday. Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire

On a night where Lionel Messi made history by netting his 900th career goal, Inter Miami CF failed to live up to the performance of the club captain to stay in the Concacaf Champions Cup.

For the second time in a week, Inter Miami were held to draw by Nashville SC in the Concacaf Champions Cup. Only this time, the 1-1 result in Fort Lauderdale meant the Herons’ dream of winning the continental tournament was over after being eliminated on the away goals rule.

While some players stood on the field overwhelmed with emotion of the result, most went straight into the stadium tunnel with heads held low to avoid any sort of interaction.

The reigning MLS Cup champions entered the 2026 edition of the Concacaf Champions Cup with the hope that this year could be different. On the field, Inter Miami finally had a balanced starting line-up supported by a strong bench. Off the field, co-owner Jorge Mas’ demand to win the competition gave way for Javier Mascherano and the coaching staff to prioritize Champions Cup action by resting players from MLS games in order to prepare them for the midweek fixtures.

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Even with a convincingly strong start to the match, seemingly overcoming the demons of the first leg to earn the early advantage over Nashville in the first minutes, Inter Miami could not live up to the expectations and shocked by falling in the round of 16 to mark their earliest exit from the tournament since debuting in CCC in 2024. Why?

The team had previously understood how to capitalize on momentum to find success on the field, winning the Leagues Cup and MLS Cup among other trophies, but Miami seems to continue to struggle with this format.

The Concacaf Champions Cup enforces a segmented format by scheduling two-legged series over the course of months. The format gives way for even the strongest teams to be caught in a difficult moment.

In 2024, injuries plagued the roster to the point of breaking against Monterrey in the quarterfinals. Without Messi in the first leg against the Mexican giants and roster rules to abide by, former head coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino blamed a lack of squad depth for the elimination.

One year later, the tournament overwhelmed Inter Miami when losing to the Vancouver Whitecaps in the semifinals as the club attempted to prepare and balance multiple competitions. By April, the Herons were competing in MLS and the Concacaf Champions Cup simultaneously while preparing for the FIFA Club World Cup and Leagues Cup.

Now, in 2026, it seems the start of the tournament caught Inter Miami in a moment of adjustment, especially as the club enters a new era without veterans Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets.

In the backline, Mascherano kicked the match off with Sergio Reguilón, a player that joined Inter Miami ahead of the 2026 campaign with the hopes of replacing Alba. Despite having big shoes to fill, it seemed the player could handle the pressure of the task.

In just the seventh minute of the match, Messi connected with the new signing to complete the left-footed rocket into the back of the net for the historic 900th career goal.

Reguilon, who earned his second ever start in an official match for Inter Miami on Wednesday night after undergoing a slow return from injury during the preseason, quickly found a rhythm to dominate the left wing as his predecessor Alba once did with the club. He completed two interceptions and made one important clearance defensively beyond the offensive support to give the backline much needed confidence.

But just as Reguilon was gaining momentum, the player went down grabbing his leg with a familiar injury to be forced off the field. Noah Allen was forced to take over, and though the experienced MLS defender attempted to make the transition seamless, Inter Miami lost their offensive edge on the left wing that connected with Messi.

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In the midfield, the club continues to figure out a world without Busquets to command the field. Though Rodrigo De Paul and Yannick Bright continue to strengthen their partnership and take on the responsibilities left behind by the Spaniard, Busquets’ absence was felt in the second half more than ever.

As Nashville kept creeping into the final third in the second half and forcing Miami to defensive errors, Bright struggled to keep up with the responsibilities of the role by leaving dangerous spaces in the midfield for Nashville to take advantage of.

On one occasion, Bright left a gap in the midfield for striker Hany Mukhtar to occupy and make a clear and lone run into the final third to attempt a shot at goal.

In the attack, new signing Germán Berterame struggled to play the role of an associative No. 9 by connecting with those around him while also failing to create the build up to a goal himself. It wasn’t just that Nashville knew how to mute Berterame, but more so that the player failed to understand how to stand out in a system he’s known for just two months.

Finally, errors across the field in every position culminated in Nashville’s goal in the second half that served as the deciding factor of the series. Micael, Facundo Mura and Bright, all away from their intended positions and roles, end up circling Dayne St. Clair inside the net to leave Cristian Espinoza free to score from a rebound and blind the Inter Miami goalkeeper from ever seeing the second attempt.

Mascherano hinted at the possibility of mistakes before the game kicked off, emphasizing that even good players make mistakes but the key to improvement for the Argentine coach lies in continuity, something these players currently lack.

“Often what you have to try to do is give it continuity, give it continuity, try to ensure that if it doesn’t work the first time, it may not work the second time, keep trusting” he said. “Clearly, everyone’s asking about Busquets’ absence; I think the team itself has stepped up. There are players who have taken charge, like Rodrigo, Yannick…

“We have players who play well; we have to give them confidence. We shouldn’t criticize them at the first sign of error. They make mistakes because football is a game of errors, and we have to stick to our convictions. They’ve already shown me they can play football. We’ve had lapses in some matches. Well, avoiding those gaps means trying to have much more continuity.”

But the Concacaf Champions Cup does not have time for continuity. In a tournament that rewards teams for being ready when called upon, Inter Miami failed again.

Now, the Herons must work to qualify for the next edition of the tournament through Leagues Cup and MLS action in hopes of having another shot at the only trophy left to be clinched by the South Florida team.