At their new 26,700-seat NU home stadium, Inter Miami had an explosive start. In just the 4th minute, Ian Fray put the home team ahead with a close-range header.

Lionel Messi (pink jersey) dribbles during Inter Miami's 3-4 loss to Orlando City in MLS round 11 on 2/5/2026. Photo: AP.

In the 25th minute, Messi drove down the left flank and crossed for Telasco Segovia to tap into an open net, doubling the lead. Less than ten minutes later, the Argentine star shone again, cutting onto his left foot and curling a signature shot that left the Orlando City goalkeeper's dive merely a backdrop for a superb goal.

Messi broke a two-game scoring drought with his 906th career goal, also recording his 408th career assist. In the 2026 MLS Golden Boot race, the Argentine forward ranks third with 7 goals. Ahead of him are Brian White (Vancouver Whitecaps), Nicolas Fernandez (New York City), and Hugo Cuypers (Chicago Fire) with 8 goals each, and Sam Surridge (Nashville SC) and Petar Musa (FC Dallas) with 9 goals each.

Messi's goal to make it 3-0.

From the 39th to the 79th minute, Martin Ojeda shone with a hat-trick to level the score. In the third minute of stoppage time, Tyrese Spicer sprinted past the offside trap, burst into the box, and placed his shot past goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair, helping Orlando City complete a historic comeback. This marked only the third time in MLS history that a club trailing 0-3 went on to win.

Inter Miami, therefore, has yet to win at their new NU home stadium. Previously, they drew 1-1 with New England Revolution, 2-2 with New York Red Bulls, and 2-2 with Austin.

Inter Miami also saw their 9-game unbeaten streak in MLS come to an end (5 wins, 4 draws). Messi and his teammates currently rank third in the Eastern Conference standings with 19 points, level with New England Revolution and four points behind Nashville.

Orlando City secures a 4-3 victory.

Last season, Inter Miami secured two major titles: the Eastern Conference championship and the MLS Cup. They also reached several historical milestones, including scoring 101 goals across all competitions, with 20 goals coming in the playoff phase alone, both MLS records. Inter Miami also played 58 matches across all competitions, a number unprecedented in club history.

Entering the new season, Inter Miami's performance has been inconsistent. Nashville SC eliminated them in the round of 16 of the CONCACAF Champions Cup – a contributing factor to coach Javier Mascherano's resignation.

Inter Miami's squad also saw significant changes after the championship. Two veterans, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, retired. Luis Suarez had to accept a substitute role after the club acquired forward German Berterame for 15 million USD from Monterrey, despite the new signing not yet making a significant impact.

Hong Duy