Inter Miami suffered a sharp 4-1 defeat to Nashville, playing away from home on the night of August 16, 2026. The match was notable for a penalty missed by Lionel Messi, who failed to score in the MLS clash, seeing his team easily overcome in the dispute for the leadership of the Eastern Conference.
Nashville opened the scoring with Najar, and Messi had the opportunity to equalize the result with a penalty kick in the 22nd minute of the first half. However, goalkeeper Schwake saved the shot. Reguilón took advantage of the rebound to score, but the goal was disallowed by VAR due to an invasion of the area before the kick.
With this chance wasted, the number 10 missed his best opportunity to score goals for the first time after the death of his father, Jorge, on August 8, 2026. This was the second game in which the star participated since his death, having returned against León in the Leagues Cup, at the beginning of the week, after being left out of the clash with Monterrey.
Despite Messi’s missed penalty, Inter Miami managed to equalize in first-half stoppage time, with a goal from Segovia. However, in the final stage, Surridge and Mukhtar, with two goals, secured a 4-1 victory for Nashville, which now occupies the isolated leadership of the Eastern Conference, with 43 points. Inter Miami remains in second place, with 38 points.
