Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami lose ‘favorite’ status after disappointing loss to Atlanta United, says MLS expert

Everything went south for InterMiami against Atlanta United last night. A 3-1 defeat at Chase Stadium saw them end their 8-match unbeaten streak. As criticism subsequently piled up, MLS pundit Matt Doyle added fuel to the fire, suggesting that Lionel Messi and his teammates can no longer claim the status of “prohibitive favorites”.

Looking at David Beckham’s soccer franchise team, anyone would crown them as the favorite for the MLS Shield. However, Doyle believes that label is no longer there for them now that they have lost Nicolas Freire to a season-ending injury. Speaking on the MLS Extratime podcast, the analyst said: “I don’t think there is a prohibitive favorite, but if Nicolas Freire doesn’t do his ACL, I would have said Miami. I think he’s been their best defender by a pretty decent margin this season.

Doyle pointed out how Freire’s absence is a big blow to their defense and how it could further ruin their season. “The chain reaction of losing Freire has brought Miami into the pack to the point where I don’t think there’s a favorite between them and Cincinnati. I always choose Miami, but it’s not by much”, he added. Freire’s injury couldn’t have come at a worse time since Miami is already dealing with injuries to stars like Federico Rendondo, Diego Gomez and Ian Fray.

Yesterday’s match further illustrates the detrimental impact of Freire’s injury on Inter Miami’s defense. Besides the disappointing result, he scored a rare moment of disappointment for Messi, a match he had not experienced in the last three years. Although not all the blame falls on the defense, with a Miami star as well criticizing their attackthe question remains: Does Tata Martino and Co. have a solution to remedy the loss of Freire?

Inter Miami can solve Nicolas Freire problem by signing former Lionel Messi rival

Recent reports suggest that Inter Miami are targeting Real Madrid veteran Nacho Fernandez. a potential replacement for Nicolas Freire. The Florida-based club view Nacho as a valuable addition, especially given his experience and availability, with his contract at Madrid set to expire this summer. Despite Madrid’s alleged lack of interest in extending his stay, competition for the 34-year-old is fierce, with interest also coming from clubs in Saudi Arabia.

Inter Miami are reportedly exploring options to sign Nacho, either through the TAM slot or by designating him as a franchise player. To accommodate Nacho’s potential arrival, there could be adjustments within the squad, such as Leonardo Campana transitioning to a TAM position, alongside former teammates Busquets and Messi, with Luis Suarez possibly take on a similar role later.

However, only Inter Miami can prevent themselves from suffering another disappointing season. Let’s see if they make up for the loss of Nicolas Freire.

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