A Messi-less Inter Miami Falls 5-2 to Atlanta United

_{LAST MATCH: Inter Miami 2 - Atlanta United 5}

_{NEXT MATCH: vs. Toronto FC}

Wednesday, Sept. 20, 7:30 p.m. | Apple TV - MLS Season Pass

Good Morning! Inter Miami suffered its first defeat in a month in front of a raucous Atlanta United crowd that endlessly taunted Messi for his choice of pizza toppings. On the bright side, Leo Campana is in form, and despite the ego-crushing loss, Miami is only seven points back from ninth place in the East.

The silver lining, eh?

In the email today:

The inevitable has happened, as Inter Miami lost for the first time in the ‘Messi era,’ getting thrashed 5-2 by Atlanta United.

With both Messi and Jordi Alba excluded from the game-day roster due to fatigue, the Herons were out-matched on offense, and struggled on defense, giving up four goals from open play, and scoring an own goal, courtesy of defender Kamal Miller.

Though Campana continued his phenomenal form scoring his second brace in two games, the Ecudorian's goals were not enough as Miami lost for the first time since July 15th.

• The loss, while painful, didn’t put a dent in Miami’s playoff hopes.

• Miami sits just seven points back of ninth place in the East.

• The Herons have a chance to bounce back in a big way against Toronto FC on Wednesday.

Our take: The team will certainly take this loss personally, considering the good form they were in. While it was a bad look to lose in the manner that they did, Miami has shown that they have the mentality to bounce back quickly. Expect the match vs. Toronto to be much better.

2) 💤 Messi and Alba Get Some Rest

World-class players also need rest. Despite fans hoping to see Messi and Alba play against Atlanta, the duo were due for a much-needed break.

After the match, head coach Tata Martino confirmed that the pair didn’t travel with the team because of muscle fatigue.

• Expect to see the ex-Barca teammates back on the field this Wednesday as Miami plays Toronto.

• Since arriving on the club in late July, both Messi and Alba have featured in almost every single match for the Herons - either starting or coming off the bench.

• Noah Allen and Robert Taylor started in place of the pair during Miami’s loss to Atlanta.

Our take: Rest is crucial for Miami's star players if they want to make playoffs. With one eye on their US Open Cup Final matchup on the 27th, the Herons had to rotate their roster to avoid burnout.

3) 🤪 Tweet of the Day: Atlanta United’s Social Media Admin Goes Wild After 5-2 Win

Following their win over Miami, Atlanta’s social media admin took to Twitter/X and engaged in some cheeky trash talk. One particular tweet stood out from the rest, in which they made a humorous comment about Messi's pizza preferences.

The tweet gained significant traction on social media and quickly became a trending topic.

4) 📊 Poll [Poll Topic]

Have additional thoughts? Reply directly to this email to comment, and see if we include your response tomorrow.

5) 🔗 Link Roundup

• ⚽ Although Messi didn’t travel to Atlanta, he wasn’t off the football pitch! The World Cup winner was sitting on the sidelines, actively coaching and supporting his son Thiago who was playing in a match with Miami’s U12 team.

• 🏉 Rugby is coming to South Florida as the Miami Sharks announced that they will be ground-sharing with Inter Miami during their inaugural season in Major League Rugby.

• 🤬 Colorado Rapids supporters are fed up! Fans of the team walked out in protest due to the team’s sub-par ownership and poor 2023 results.

The newsletter today was written by: Alex Windley @aaw_1998

Thanks for reading! Catch you on the flip side!