Inter Miami experienced their first loss since the arrival of Lionel Messi in July in a 5-2 defeat against Atlanta on Saturday.
Messi himself did not feature in the game as he was left out of the matchday squad.
Tristan Muyumba, Brooks Lennon and a Kamal Miller own goal gave the hosts a comfortable lead in the first half.
Georgios Giakoumakis and Tyler Wolff each scored in the second as Atlanta sealed victory. They now sit sixth in the MLS Eastern Conference after the victory.
Leonardo Campana scored twice for Miami, who saw their 12-game unbeaten streak across all competitions come to an end.
Miami’s unbeaten streak of 12 games across all competitions came to an end.
Manager Gerardo “Tata” Martino disclosed that Lionel Messi and Spanish defender Jordi Alba missed the game due to “muscular fatigue,” clarifying that their absence wasn’t related to the FieldTurf surface at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Atlanta United coach Gonzalo Pineda expressed his surprise at learning about Messi’s absence through social media.
Despite the attention surrounding Messi’s status, Pineda urged his players to remain focused on their own performance, emphasizing the importance of turning the conversation towards Atlanta United and not let distractions affect their game.
Inter Miami now looks ahead to their upcoming matches. They have a home game against Toronto on Wednesday and an away game against Orlando on September 24, followed by the U.S. Open Cup final against the Houston Dynamo three days later.
