Inter Miami failed to win their second title of the season. The Beckham club lost the U.S. Open Cup final to Houston Dynamo without its top stars
Up to $400 was reportedly charged for a ticket, according to US media reports. Those who paid this sum to see the cup final in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, between Inter Miami and Houston Dynamo, will certainly have made quite long faces when the match report sheet was published.
The home side were without their top players Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba, who had recently been substituted in the first period of the Major League Soccer match against Toronto. Miami had waited until shortly before the game to decide whether one or even both of the protagonists would be able to play. In the end, both of them sat in the stands in civilian clothes.
Preliminary decision before the break
“We couldn’t even think of using him for a few minutes because we would be taking risks,” said coach Gerardo Martino, once coach of FC Barcelona and the Argentina national team. “Tata” expects Messi to be able to play again at some point in the next five remaining MLS games for Miami. “He will definitely play before the league is over. “
And so it was that Sergio Busquets led the way for the Roses, who would end up deservedly losing out to Houston. Griffin Dorsey and Amine Bassi scored penalties before the break for the Texans, whose co-owner and NBA star James Harden was an eyewitness. It was only in injury time that ex-Serie A professional Josef Martinez was able to reduce the deficit, also from the spot. A short time later it was over and the Lamar Hunt Cup went into the hands of Dynamo captain Hector Herrera, who last played for Atletico Madrid.
Chance of play-off participation
It is still not known how seriously Messi (eleven goals and eight assists for Inter) is injured. The seven-time world footballer had already missed three games for Inter and an international match for Argentina in recent weeks. Miami, who won the Leagues Cup final against Nashville in August to claim the first title in club history, are still fighting to make the play-offs in the league. Next stop for Inter (32 points in 29 games) is Sunday night (1.30am German time) at home to New York City FC (9th, 37 points, 31 games), one of the clubs still to catch up in the battle for ninth place (pre-play-offs).
