Lionel Messi can do it on a humid Wednesday night in Queens.
The gauntlet of a schedule New York City has rolled through in recent weeks finally caught up to the Pigeons, as Inter Miami left Queens with a 4-0 win.
It's the biggest NYCFC loss of the season, and it played out in front of an announced attendance of 40,085 fans, making it the largest crowd in club history at Citi Field. Messi turned back the clock with a vintage performance, propelling Miami with an emphatic second-half display.
Alonso Martínez failed to make Pascal Jansen's Starting XI due to injury, and his counterparts in attack were unable to carry the mantle in his absence, as another 90 minutes of less-than-clinical finishing hindered NYC.
New York City: 1.0 xG, 9 shots, 2 shots on target, 50.5% possession, 461 passes, 87.5% pass accuracy, 22 fouls, 4 corners, 4 saves
Inter Miami: 2.3 xG, 12 shots, 8 shots on target, 49.5% possession, 485 passes, 88.7% pass accuracy, 9 fouls, 5 corners, 2 saves
Goals:
• Inter Miami, Baltasar Rodriguez, 43'
• Inter Miami, Lionel Messi, 74'
• Inter Miami, Luis Suarez, 83' (PK)
• Inter Miami, Lionel Messi, 86'
Attendance: 40,845
Messi Mania takes over Flushing
It's always a spectacle when Messi comes to town, and Wednesday night was no different. Last September's matchup between NYC and Miami saw over 44,000 fans pack into Yankee Stadium, marking the second-largest home attendance figure in club history. This time around, it was the fourth-largest home crowd in club history, with the far reaches of the upper decks nearly filled to capacity with fans hoping to get a glimpse of the Little Magician.
Messi & Co gave those traveling supporters a night to remember. With two expertly taken goals from Messi, along with a well-crafted assist from the Argentine and a penalty from Luis Suarez, Inter Miami gave supporters all they could have asked for on the night. As the clock wound down, Citi echoed with the worshipful chants of "Mess-sssi! Mess-sssi!"
The same cannot be said for New York City, which looked like a side that was running on fumes, especially during the second half.
At 37 years old, Messi made easy work of the NYC defense, with both of his goals coming off the back of his dribbling finesse. It was 2015 all over again.
Lionel Messi playing like it's 2015 | Courtesy Apple TV and MLS
His first strike, coming in the 73rd minute, was a perfectly timed run in behind, before receiving the ball and bursting past Aiden O'Neill, and capping off the run with a delicate chip over Matt Freese from close range. There wasn't much the NYC defense could do on that run; the Argentine caught Justin Haak flat-footed, and O'Neill couldn't make a challenge without seeing red.
His second strike had shades of his famous dropping of Jerome Boateng in the Champions League. Picking the ball up in space, Messi drove towards Haak at speed, before feinting to his right and firing a low effort past Freese to make it 4-0.
Lionel Messi scores his second of the night for Inter Miami | Courtesy Apple TV and MLS
Inter Miami is a difficult club to contain under normal circumstances, but when you factor in a plethora of tired legs and a vintage display from the greatest men's player of all time, besting the Herons is an uphill battle. And Wednesday night proved to be a hill too tall for the Pigeons to climb, a fierce reality check with a massive derby fixture on the horizon.
Matthew Mangam
Attacking quality hinders the Pigeons
On a night without the club's Central American talisman up front for the majority of the match, New York City showed a distinct lack of composure in front of goal.
The club's newest designated player, Nico Fernández, got the start in the No 9 role for NYC in place of Martinez, and simply did not carry the torch well at all. Across his 90-minute performance, Nico fashioned just two shots, including a dreadful miss from within 12 yards, dragging his effort wide of the post after beating two Miami defenders. Neither of his efforts found the target.
On the wings, Hannes Wolf and Agustin Ojeda both struggled to make an impact on the match, with the former getting hooked after 61 minutes, the latter after 73 minutes. Neither winger managed to fashion a single shot or create a single chance between them, with Wolf recording just 23 touches on the ball, total.
And in midfield, it was a night to forget for Maxi Moralez. The diminutive Argentine completed just 40% of his crosses and 33% of his long balls, while only getting on the ball three times in the Inter Miami penalty area all night. His defense was particularly woeful as well, losing all eight of his attempted duels and committing five fouls.
Hudson River Blue Staff
Tired legs finally catch up to NYC
The creativity and attacking cohesion that saw New York City win five of their last six matches completely evaporated at Citi Field on Wednesday night. The easy answer would be to chalk it up to tired legs and fixture congestion, but there were more signs of trouble than that.
The fact that the removal of one player in Martínez threw the entire offense out of sync is a major concern for this club as the MLS Cup Playoffs draw closer and closer with each passing game week. And the outlook doesn't get better soon, with the Hudson River Derby slated for this coming Saturday, further exacerbating the fatigue issues within the squad.
Martínez's involvement for Saturday's clash with New York Red Bulls in Harrison is still up in the air, with Jansen stating during his post-match press conference that it's "still too early to tell" what the Costa Rican's involvement might look like on Saturday. Martínez has been dealing with a quad injury, per the NYC head coach, with the NYC medical staff urging Jansen to rest the forward vs Miami, stressing that he could play "20-30 minutes at most."
This leaves Jansen with some massive decisions to make, with another quick turnaround between fixtures only adding to the pressure. Saturday's Hudson River Derby is a massive moment for both clubs, as both New York City and Red Bulls find themselves in situations where a win could drastically change the outlook of their postseasons.
Wednesday night was a come-back-to-Earth matchup for New York City, with fatigue and poor composure biting them in the end. This result was a humbling experience for the Pigeons, an experience that will truly test the "bulletproof mindset" Jansen has worked so hard to instill.
And with just two days between now and the Hudson River Derby, it will be up to the Pigeons to reaffirm that mindset and stay the course if they want any chance of claiming home-field advantage in the first round of the MLS Cup Playoffs.
• Inter Miami, Mateo Silvetti, yellow card, foul 18′
• New York City, Andrés Perea, yellow card, poor sportsmanship 32′
• Inter Miami, Jordi Alba, yellow card, poor sportsmanship 41′
• New York City, Justin Haak, yellow card, foul 82′
Officials
• Referee: Filip Dujic
• Assistant referees: Ian McKay, Tyler Wyrostek
• Fourth official: Tori Penso
• VAR: José Carlos Rivero
• Assistant VAR: Fabio Tovar
New York City FC 0-4 Inter Miami |Official Highlights
