Lionel Messi named to MLS Team of the Matchday despite Inter Miami loss to Orlando City
MLS included Lionel Messi in its Team of the Matchday after Inter Miami's 4-3 defeat to Orlando City, a game in which Messi assisted twice and scored as Miami built a 3-0 lead bef...
Lionel Messi has been named to Major League Soccer’s Team of the Matchday after Inter Miami’s 4-3 loss to Orlando City on Matchday 11, the league recognized. Messi assisted twice and scored once as Miami took a 3-0 lead in the first half, but Orlando City recovered to win 4-3 in the second half.
Messi’s contribution in a high‑scoring match
According to the match report, Messi created and directly contributed to all three Inter Miami goals. He set up Ian Fray’s opening goal with a pass that led to a cross from Telasco Segovia, later assisted Segovia for the second goal, and finished the third with a precise strike in the 33rd minute. Despite those contributions, Orlando’s Martin Ojeda produced a second‑half hat‑trick and provided the assist for the stoppage‑time winner.
Context: Messi’s 2026 MLS campaign so far
World Soccer Talk notes Messi has been selected to the Team of the Matchday five times in the first eleven weeks of the 2026 MLS season, with prior selections on Matchdays 2, 5, 6 and 8. The article reports Messi has played in 10 of Inter Miami’s 11 league matches this season and, up to the time of reporting, had eight goals and one assist.
- Messi named to MLS Team of the Matchday for Matchday 11 following Inter Miami’s 4-3 defeat to Orlando City.
- Messi recorded one goal and two assists in the match and was involved in all three Miami goals.
- Inter Miami led 3-0 at half‑time; Orlando City came back, with Martin Ojeda scoring a hat‑trick and assisting the stoppage‑time winner.
- Messi has five Team of the Matchday selections in the first eleven weeks of the 2026 season, per the report.
Inter Miami face a congested week of fixtures after the defeat. The report says the club will travel to Toronto FC on Saturday, then visit FC Cincinnati on Wednesday, May 13, and return home to host the Portland Timbers the following Sunday — three matches in seven days.
What it means for Inter Miami and Messi
The selection underlines Messi’s influence on the pitch even in a defeat: the recognition highlights individual performance amid a dramatic team collapse. The compressed schedule that follows presents a short window for Inter Miami to regroup physically and mentally before successive away and home tests, which could have implications for squad rotation and fitness management.