Inter Miami passed the 2024 MLS opener with flying colors. Just hours ago, the Herons clinched an easy 2-0 victory against Real Salt Lake at Chase Stadium. Two decent finishes from Robert Taylor and Diego Gomez were enough to help Miami take three points home. Although star player Lionel Messi didn’t manage to find the net, coach Tata Martino is still in awe of the skipper, insisting that he is ‘happy‘ to see La Pulga ‘motivated.‘

The Argentinian superstar played the full match as he led his side to victory. Interestingly, when asked to share his thoughts on Messi’s performance tonight, Martino said, “There is an issue with him that does not happen with other players in the world. He can grab the ball even very far from the rival goal and the feeling he gives is that the ball is going to end up in a goal situation.” The 61YO tactician heaped praise on Messi’s final play, where the World Cup winner managed to win the ball swiftly by fighting till the end. Notably, Martino’s praise didn’t end there. 

The ex-River Plate boss is impressed by Messi’s determination to play with such ‘great wear and tear.‘ He then concluded, “It makes me happy because he is obviously fine. He is motivated but apart from that, he feels good physically.” To sum it up, Messi displayed true leadership in tonight’s match and left no room for complaints. Although he didn’t find a goal, the 8X Ballon d’Or winner did help set up both goals. While the first one counted as his assist, the second came after combining with Luis Suarez as the Uruguayan assisted Gomez. However, Martino was still not impressed with the victory.

Tata Martino wanted Lionel Messi and Co. to score more goals 

During the press conference, Tata Martino expressed skepticism regarding the victory. While he commended his team’s performance in the first half, he made a surprising statement, saying, “We should’ve scored one more goal.” That’s not all, as he downplayed the notion of Inter Miami being considered favorites to win the MLS Cup.

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While urging the media to not jump to the conclusion based solely on the team’s initial victory, Martino insisted that more things need to be ‘corrected‘ and they will ‘continue to work.’ Clearly, Martino is cautious not to become overly confident prematurely. Nonetheless, let’s remain hopeful that Inter Miami maintains this perspective moving forward.

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