The loss sees Miami drop to sixth place in the Eastern Conference, with Orlando leapfrogging them in the standings. Messi, largely subdued throughout the match, managed only two shots on target and mishit a key free-kick, mirroring the team’s collective downturn in form.
“Now we’ll see if we’re truly a team in tough moments, because when everything’s going well, it’s very easy,” Messi told Apple TV. “This is when we need to be more united than ever.”
While Messi questioned some refereeing decisions, the defeat had more to do with Miami’s porous defense, disconnected midfield, and a faltering attack led by an ineffective Luis Suarez.
Orlando opened the scoring with a straightforward goal in the 43rd minute—goalkeeper Pedro Gallese’s long ball was latched onto by Luis Muriel, who easily beat Miami keeper Oscar Ustari.
Miami’s backline continued to struggle with direct play. Martin Ojeda missed a golden opportunity to extend the lead before halftime, but the visitors didn’t have to wait long. In the second half, Marco Pasalic’s tame shot somehow slipped through Ustari’s grasp and legs to double theadvantage.
Desperate for a turnaround, head coach Javier Mascherano introduced several attacking changes, but Miami never found their rhythm. In stoppage time, Duncan McGuire’s run down the flank ended in a low cross that Dagur Thorhallsson calmly finished, sealing a comprehensive win for Orlando.
Mascherano admitted the first goal derailed Miami’s game plan.
“For 25 or 30 minutes, we controlled the game in their half, but once again, mistakes cost us,” he said. “It’s pointless for me to keep repeating this. It keeps happening. Clearly, we as a coaching staff are failing.”
Since being eliminated from the CONCACAF Champions Cup by Vancouver, Miami have leaked 20 goals in their last seven games, with their only victory coming on May 3 against the New York Red Bulls.
Mascherano acknowledged a significant dip in confidence and form: “We’ve tried different formations and personnel, but the team is hurting. We need to find a solution.”
Elsewhere in MLS, Marco Reus was the hero in the Los Angeles derby, scoring twice—including a brilliant 87th-minute free-kick—to rescue a 2-2 draw for the winless Galaxy against LAFC. Reus opened the scoring in the sixth minute, but goals from Denis Bouanga and Nathan Ordaz had put LAFC in control before the German veteran’s late equalizer salvaged a point.
