Miami, FL
Inter Miami can’t keep relying on Messi or conceding first
Lionel Messi continuously proves himself to be the most integral part of MLS leaders Inter Miami’s success, even when he doesn’t score or get an assist. In the 3-2 comeback victory over CF Montréal on Saturday night, the Argentina forward once again inspired his teammates offensively, but the Herons are slipping into an uncomfortable pattern of play.
Recently, all Miami’s matches have played out in similar fashion: the backline struggles and concedes before Messi inspires the offense to turn the score around and secure the victory.
This time, it was former Inter Miami player Bryce Duke who took advantage of some weak defending to give Montréal a 1-0 lead in the 22nd minute — the seventh-consecutive time that Miami has conceded the first goal this season. That streak started on April 6 against the Colorado Rapids and extends to Major League Soccer and Concacaf Champions Cup games against CF Monterrey, New York Red Bulls, New England Revolution, Nashville SC, Sporting Kansas City, and now Montréal.
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In the 32nd minute, Jules-Anthony Vilsaint doubled the score to suggest it would be a tough comeback this time around, but in all the MLS matches where it has gone behind, Miami eventually recovered with Messi leading the charge alongside Luis Suárez. And, on Saturday, it was no different.
Messi quietly helped to pave the way back — winning a free kick in a prime position for Matias Rojas’ to strike home the set piece, before Suarez netted the equaliser from a corner four minutes later, then was an integral part of the play for Benjamin Cremaschi’s winner on 59 minutes.
It exposed a striking difference from Miami’s first confrontation against the Canadian side on March 10, when they fell 3-2 as Messi watched from the sidelines while he nursed a hamstring injury. And the Herons experienced something similar against the Red Bulls this season: losing 4-0 without Messi in late March before winning 6-2 over the same opponent just weeks later with the star striker contributing five assists and one goal.
Messi’s impact is clear. Since he made his debut, in all competitions the team is 2-4-6 (WDL) when he does not play and 15-7-3 when he does.
But the defensive issues can’t continue and Miami must quickly learn how to cope without their star man if winning Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup remains an objective. Gerardo Martino’s side may boast an astonishing 35 goals scored, largely due to Messi and Suarez, but it has conceded a shocking 20.
“Yes, it gives us tranquillity to count with players like that on the attack,” defender Franco Negri said afterwards, when asked if having Messi on the team calms nerves. “But we also have to have the responsibility to be better at the back … luckily we have found that amount of goals and won.”
Soon, Negri and his teammates will no longer be able to count on Messi to get those goals back, as the famous No. 10 will head off to lead heavy favorites Argentina at the 2024 Copa America from June 20 to July 14.
La Albiceleste has won the tournament 15 times, the joint-record holder with Uruguay, and should it make it all the way to the final this time around, as expected, Miami would be without Messi for a month. Even if the reigning champions only reach the semifinals, Argentina would still have the third-place playoff on July 13, which would see Messi miss five MLS games: Philadelphia Union (June 15), Columbus Crew (June 19), Nashville SC (June 29), Charlotte FC (July 3), and FC Cincinnati (July 6).
But it could be even worse for Miami if the 36-year-old accepts the invitation from head coach Javier Mascherano to become one of three senior players allowed on Argentina’s Under-23 team for the Olympics from July 24 to August 10. That would see him miss the majority of the 2024 Leagues Cup tournament.
“We have made an invitation to Leo to join us at the Olympic Games and we have agreed to talk to him again,” Mascherano said about Messi’s involvement earlier this month. “We know it’s not an easy situation for him … We will give him the time he needs.”
Two months without Messi leaves Martino’s team vulnerable in all competitions. For now, the coach revealed he is just looking to win as many games as possible and maintain top spot in the Eastern Conference before his star player departs. But what comes next?
Miami’s current offensive options include pairing Campana with Suarez, which proved ineffective in the 4-0 loss to the Red Bulls, or Suarez could play alongside Robert Taylor and Julian Gressel, as he did in the 1-1 draw against New York City FC. But Suarez is 37 years old and may not have the stamina to shoulder the creative burden himself. The 23-year-old Campana may need to step up and lead the attack, as he did in the first half against the Colorado Rapids, though that game saw him create no chances before exiting the pitch with no goals or assists on 42 minutes.
Of course there is no magical substitution for Messi. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner proves time and again why many regard him as one of the game’s best, but he can’t always be there to save the day. Football is not an individual sport and the weeks without Messi will prove to be incredibly tough if Miami can’t sort out its defensive issues.
In 1987, on the Hawaiian island of Kauaʻi, a naturalist and wildlife photographer named David Boynton captured on tape what many environmentalists feel is among the saddest sounds ever recorded.
It’s believed to be the final mating call of a male Moho braccatus — a small songbird — singing for a female that never replied.
Researchers posit that the last female of the species perished in a hurricane five years earlier. Within a few years of Boynton’s recording, the species was declared extinct.
But the lost songbird returns in Dance NOW! Miami’s new contemporary ballet titled Love-less: Dance of the Last Moho braccatus.
It makes its world premiere this week during the company’s season finale called Love Lost And Found.
The piece was created by DNM’s co-founder and co-Artistic Director Hannah Baumgarten, who says she first learned about the bird during a screening of the Sam Green documentary 32 Sounds at the Perez Art Museum in Miami.
“I heard this haunting call with no reply,” says Baumgarten. “And I was awash with so many feelings about love and loss that I just knew in that moment, I was going to make a ballet about it.”
Baumgarten says she saw parallels between the songbird’s story and how human beings cope with loss and their own mortality.
“”For me, personally, this piece became about the observations I made with my parents as I’m watching them age,” she says.
“And I’m watching my mother grapple with the differences in the speed at which she and my father are aging.”
DNM’s season finale also marks the world premiere of Traces, by the company’s co-founder and co-Artistic Director, Diego Salterini.
“It is the other end of the spectrum,” says Baumgarten. The piece charts the universal search for love, seen through the eyes of one woman.
Dance NOW! Miami’s season finale clocks in at only 80 minutes long (with two short pauses) but covers a lot of ground.
In addition to the two world premieres, DNM will perform Tandy Beal’s Forest Dreams; Deco-de, Salterini’s homage to Art Deco design and architecture; and an excerpt from Blue Pencil, DNM’s commentary on government censorship and repression.
IF YOU GO
WHAT: LOVE LOST & FOUND
Dance NOW! Miami
Program III Season Finale
WHEN: Friday, May 8 in Lauderhill &
Saturday, May 9 in Aventura
Both shows 8:00 pm
WHERE: Lauderhill Performing Arts Center
3800 NW 11th Place, Lauderhill, FL
Aventura Arts & Cultural Center
3385 NE 188th Street, Aventura, FL
More information: dancenowmiami.org
Trust remains a primary barrier to broader crypto adoption, according to representatives from the National Cryptocurrency Association, Circle, U.S. Bank and ChangeNOW at Consensus 2026 in Miami.
Ali Tager of the National Cryptocurrency Association said research shows “the number one barrier to non-crypto holders is they just do not get it,” citing complexity, jargon and misinformation as persistent challenges.
Panelists from Circle, U.S. Bank and ChangeNOW said trust is built gradually through user experience rather than technical claims. Britt Cambas of Circle said “you are not going to get technical trust in 30 seconds,” emphasizing clarity and reducing complexity as prerequisites for adoption.
Rachel Castro of U.S. Bank said trust is central to financial services and “very easily broken,” adding that rebuilding it takes significantly longer once lost.
Speakers highlighted customer support and human interaction as critical differentiators in crypto platforms. Pauline Shangett of ChangeNOW said “the primary factor of trust for me when it comes to a web3 project is a feeling that you are working with real people,” pointing to gaps in user support across the industry.
Cambas said reducing ambiguity in products and partnerships is key, noting that simplifying complex systems can drive adoption more effectively than new features.
Panelists also pointed to education as a necessary step for onboarding new users. Tager said the industry must “make it super simple, make it accessible, make it trustworthy” to reach mainstream audiences.
The discussion, moderated by Ashley Wright, focused on designing systems that prioritize transparency, usability and communication, with speakers agreeing that trust must be embedded across product design, customer engagement and regulatory frameworks rather than treated as a standalone feature.
Last week, PetaPixel reported that the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix has strict rules on what cameras are allowed in — so one photographer brought along a tape measure to prove that his gear was eligible for entry.
Roberto Baldea says on Instagram that a security guard on the gate told him his lenses — an 18-35mm and a 70-200mm — were too big. But he had a cunning plan.
“They didn’t want to let me in with my camera and my lens,” Baldea says. “I came prepared. This is a measuring tape from Ikea, and the guy was beefing with me. He was like, ‘It’s not six inches, this is too big for six inches’.”
The lens that Baldea brought with him, as he demonstrates in the video, is exactly six inches. “Be aware, photographers, bring a measuring tape if they say there’s a certain length limit. Don’t let them get to you,” he adds.
Baldea thanks professional motor sports photographer Jamey Price, who initially sent out a public service announcement about the strict rules at the race.
“I told you all,” Price responded to Baldea’s video. “These tracks want to create issues. Security isn’t hired by their high IQ levels. Well done for being prepared.”
On the event’s FAQs page, under cameras, it says that “point-and-shoot cameras and cameras with consumer-grade detachable lenses no longer than six inches will be allowed in order for guests to take photos, provided that they are only for personal and private non-commercial purposes.”
Fortunately for Baldea, he was able to get his cameras in and captured photos of the action as well as race winner Kimi Antonelli. A few years ago, at the same event, one fan wasn’t so lucky after he was turned away from the gate for having a mirrorless camera with him. Undeterred, he returned the next day with a floppy disk camera.
Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.
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