In a night that witnessed the Argentine Lionel Messi's return to the pitches after the death of his father, Inter Miami suffered a painful blow after being knocked out of the Leagues Cup in the first round, following their 3-2 loss to Mexican side Leon at dawn on Thursday.
Messi had returned to the United States from Argentina after participating in the farewell ceremonies for his father Jorge, who passed away last week at the age of 68 following an illness.
Inter Miami's captain sat on the bench at the start of the match before the coach brought him on in the second half amid a grand reception from the fans at "Nu Stadium," Inter Miami's home ground, in his first appearance since his father's death and after missing the team's Saturday loss to Monterrey.
Messi's return was not enough to save Inter Miami, who took the lead in the 42nd minute through Daniel Pintor before Leon turned the score around in the second half.
Daniel Arcila equalized for the Mexican side in the 50th minute, then Yannick Bright restored Inter Miami's lead in the 53rd minute.
But Juan Dominguez scored Leon's second equalizer in the 61st minute before Arcila netted his second goal and his team's third in the 83rd minute, giving the visitors qualification to the next round.
With this result, Leon became the first team to secure a spot in the quarterfinals of the current edition, while Inter Miami's campaign ended early in one of the club's most difficult nights since Messi's arrival in Major League Soccer.
The Leagues Cup is an annual tournament featuring clubs from the Mexican and American leagues, and Messi had led the team to the 2023 title shortly after joining the club.
Yannick Bright, who scored Inter Miami's second goal, said Messi's return was "something incredible," confirming that the players tried to give their all for their captain amid the difficult circumstances he is facing.
