Inter Miami suffered a thumping 4-1 defeat against Orlando City on Sunday as the Herons dearly missed the services of Lionel Messi, who missed the last two games due to injury.
Following the heavy defeat, Inter Miami boss Javier Mascherano took all the responsibility of the poor showing at the Exploria Stadium.
Orlando took an early lead through Luis Muriel, who finished the game with a brace while Yannick Bright equalized early for Inter Miami but in the end, it was only a consolation for the Herons.
"The first person responsible is me, and I take full accountability," Mascherano said after the match. "We have a long week ahead to reflect on what happened. As the leader of this group, it hurts to present the image we showed today. This has to be a turning-point match. When we take our foot off the gas, any team can beat us."
The Argentine was disappointed as it was Inter Miami's first defeat since July 16 when they lost 3-0 against Cincinnati in the MLS.
"If we truly want to compete, this is not the way. There was only one team on the field today. We didn’t play with the intensity these games require. They outplayed us from the first minute to the last. Very hurt, very concerned."
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This was also Inter Miami's first defeat since the arrival of Argentina international Rodrigo De Paul. But the problematic statistic is that this is their second straight loss to rivals Orlando City.
Orlando City now have the upper hand in the Florida Derby with seven wins, five draws and five losses against Inter Miami.
When will Inter Miami main man Lionel Messi return from injury?
Messi picked up an injury in Inter Miami's Leagues Cup second group stage clash against Necaxa where they won on penalties after the match ended in a 2-2 draw.
Mascherano downplayed Messi's injury as he called in a minor issue in his hamstring and expects him to return to the field pretty soon.
"He felt discomfort, and we will not be able to know until tomorrow how severe the injury is," Mascherano said after the win against Necaxa. "There's probably something there. Maybe not as important because he was really not in pain. But he did feel a pull."
However, it could take Messi at least three weeks or more depending on the severity of the injury.
Having said that, Inter Miami expects the Argentine star to return before their Leagues Cup quarterfinal against Tigres on August 20.
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