Inter Miami are out of the 2024 Leagues Cup after a thrilling 3-2 defeat against the Columbus Crew.
Having won the competition last year in emphatic fashion led by Lionel Messi, the Herons were unable to retain their title this time around with the Argentine international missing all four fixtures in the tournament due to injury.
With the Florida franchise throwing away a 2-0 lead to lose 3-2 against Columbus, the Crew showed why they’re one of the best teams in MLS and a real candidate to win Leagues Cup this year, with Mo Farsi highlighting Inter Miami’s defensive problems.
And manager Tata Martino has now shared how he feels about Inter Miami’s loss.
Martino ‘very sad’ after Inter Miami loss vs Columbus Crew
Speaking to the press after last night’s defeat, Martino shared how upset he was over Inter Miami throwing away a 2-0 lead against Columbus and failing to capitalize on the chances the Herons had to level the game at 3-2.
With no Messi and Columbus being one of the favorites for Leagues Cup, Inter Miami shouldn’t feel too bad about crashing out to the reigning MLS Cup holders, yet Martino was clearly impacted by the result and the manner of the defeat.
Martino said on the loss: “The reality is we played 65 brilliant minutes, and we even had a chance to score a third goal. In 10 minutes we got disjointed, wanting to pressure high when maybe we were not in the condition to do so.
“They came out fast, they found advantages. But even when they went 3-2 up, we had two clear chances to score. The truth is, I am very sad with the result because I think we take away too little for what we did against a rival like that.”
Martino will take important lessons from Leagues Cup defeat
Inter Miami have been impressive in the 11 games the Herons have been without Messi since the start of June, with defeat in the Leagues Cup to the Columbus Crew hardly a result to be ashamed about.
Yet given the nature of the defeat, Martino will take some important lessons heading into the final third of the MLS season, where big games against the best in the league are on the horizon in the play-offs.
If Inter Miami are to go all the way to win MLS Cup, they will need to learn how to defender properly against the likes of Columbus, who found one weakness and exploited it to gain an incredible result in Ohio.