Tadeo Allende provides the magic for Messi-less Inter Miami | OneFootball

By Jaime Uribarri

Inter Miami CF keep finding ways to win without Lionel Messi.

On Sunday, on-loan forward Tadeo Allende supplied the magic with a stunning goal that secured a 1-0 home win over Charlotte FC despite the Herons leaving the legendary No. 10 on the bench and playing down a man most of the game.

Goalkeeper Oscar Ustari had already been sent off for a DOGSO red card (38') on Wilfried Zaha when Allende stole the spotlight at Chase Stadium. The 26-year-old Argentine capitalized 16 seconds after the second half began, controlling a long service on the right side, linking up with Luis Suárez with a superb give-and-go near the edge of the box and firing past Kristijan Kahlina.

WATCH: Tadeo Allende scores stunner for Inter Miami

“That was all the brilliance of Tadeo and Luis,” Miami head coach Javier Mascherano said post-match. “The ingenuity that footballers have sometimes, and with a single play end up deciding games.

“We knew Tadeo was a player who could give us attacking depth.”

Allende, acquired on loan from LaLiga side Celta de Vigo through 2025, has been an instant contributor for the Herons, scoring in his last four games across all competitions.

His latest tally was arguably the most vital of his Miami tenure so far, given the numerical disadvantage his team faced against a tough opponent.

“I’m not going to try to fool anybody: We only had one [goal-scoring] play in the second half,” Mascherano said. “And we scored right away. But that’s football.”

Gutsy display

Allende’s offensive prowess wasn’t the only factor that improved the Herons to a 2W-0L-1D record, good for second place in the Eastern Conference with seven points. Holding midfielder Yannick Bright was a workhorse who covered the entire field, while the Miami backline helped preserve the clean sheet and ensured substitute goalie Rocco Rios Novo had little to do.

“Today’s circumstances were so that we couldn’t play pretty, it was going to be hard. And we’re capable,” said Mascherano. “I think it’s a great reference point to keep growing from.”

For second-half substitute Ian Fray, the gutsy performance demonstrated how deep and connected Miami’s squad is.

“It just shows the team chemistry that we have to do this,” Fray told MLS Season Pass after the win. “We’ve gone down [a man] twice in the first half, and we were able to get a draw [against New York City FC in Matchday 1] and then win this game.

"It’s just the team spirit and the chemistry that we have.”

Messi update

Sunday's game was Miami's third straight without Messi, an unused substitute after being left off the Herons' previous two matchday squads.

"In the case of Leo, we were maybe thinking of giving him minutes," Mascherano said. "But because of the way the game played out, playing down a man and taking into account the amount of time he hasn't played, we felt it was best to preserve him and not take any risks."

While Mascherano didn't confirm Messi would play in Thursday's Concacaf Champions Cup Round-of-16 Leg 2 at Jamaica's Cavalier FC, he hinted at lining up the best possible starting XI to build on the club's 2-0 aggregate lead and advance to the quarterfinals.

"We have a tough game on Thursday. It will be difficult, difficult in Jamaica," he said. "So we have to be ready."

"... In football, we have two ways: excuses or results. And we have to choose results."

HIGHLIGHTS: Inter Miami CF vs. Charlotte FC | March 9, 2025