- Inter Miami finished 14th in the Eastern Conference and missed the postseason
- But it was still a momentous few months for Lionel Messi after arriving in the US
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Lionel Messi is ‘proud’ of his first season at Inter Miami, despite the club missing out on the postseason.
The Herons were bottom of the Eastern Conference when Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba arrived and were unable to make up enough ground, with the Argentine’s recent muscle injury proving costly.
Nevertheless, it was a season to remember for Messi as he led Miami to their first Leagues Cup trophy, scoring eleven goals in fourteen matches in total.
“I’m proud of everything the team has achieved this season,” he said on Instagram.
“With everyone’s work and effort, we were able to win the Leagues Cup, achieve the first title in the history of Inter Miami CF, we reached the final of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup and we even fought to get into the MLS play- offs to come. practically until the last moment.
Lionel Messi played for Miami at Charlotte in the last game of the season last weekend
The team missed the playoffs, but lifted the Leagues Cup over the summer, beating Nashville
‘We are left with all the good things and especially with the desire to improve to be even more competitive next year. I would like to thank all the people at the club and the city of Miami for the support they always give us. I am sure we will continue to experience incredible moments together, as has happened in recent months.”
Following the club’s League Cup victory, Messi’s availability was affected by his muscle injury and Argentina’s call-ups for World Cup qualifiers.
The forward ultimately missed four matches in all competitions due to injury, including Miami’s US Open Cup final defeat to the Houston Dynamo.
Messi ultimately made just six league appearances (four starts) after making his debut for the club in July.
However, the club recently announced that it will embark on an overseas tour in China next month.
Messi won the best player and top scorer awards for his performances in Leagues Cu
The Herons will face Qingdao Hainiu FC in Qingdao, China on November 5, followed by Chengdu Rongcheng in Chengdu, China on November 8.
From there, Messi is expected to feature in two more World Cup qualifiers for Argentina, against Uruguay on November 16 and Brazil on November 21.
He will then have some time off in December before gearing up for another MLS season in February.
