Miami goes and puts five on Cincinnati, then immediately gets hit with a roster headache — Allende is out, and the schedule does not care. This is Inter Miami Daily — the comeback win, the injury update, and Messi already trying to line up his next Argentine import. Five goals away from home is the kind of thing that has you feeling invincible for about ten minutes. Then you remember the back line has to do it all over again without Allende. We’ve also got De Paul’s future reportedly tied to whenever Messi walks out the door. The roster-rule implications are very real, and we’re getting into all of it. From Mauricio Venegas at Inter Miami CF:
**Inter Miami CF (7W-2L-4D, 25 points)** secured another valuable three points on the road tonight with a thrilling 3-5 comeback win against FC Cincinnati. A brace by captain Leo Messi, as well as strikes from attackers Mateo Silvetti and Germán Berterame led the Club to victory at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati.
Inter Miami leave Cincinnati with a 5-3 road win, and per the club’s own recap by Mauricio Venegas, they’ve matched FC Cincinnati’s 2024 record for the most points through nine away games in MLS regular-season history. They’re on 22 road points now. A comeback win, Messi already at 10 league goals, Berterame and Silvetti both scoring — and Cincinnati still put three past us, so let’s not pretend the back line was quietly dominant out there. Fair. The center of that back four was Gonzalo Luján and Micael, Reguilón was at left back, and Cincinnati still found three ways through St. Clair. That’s the part to keep an eye on as the schedule gets heavier. De Paul, Bright, and Segovia in midfield is a lot to ask if they’re also supposed to patch every defensive gap on the road. The scoreline is gorgeous. The process had some cracks. From Alejandro Lopez Vega at World Soccer Talk:
As Inter Miami approach the final matches of the semester looking to close the gap at the top of the Eastern Conference standings in Major League Soccer, one of Lionel Messi’s key teammates will be sidelined for an extended period: Tadeo Allende.
Allende is out for the upcoming MLS matches, and per the club’s official statement — flagged by Alejandro Lopez Vega at World Soccer Talk — he’s traveling to Barcelona for a specialist evaluation. We mentioned the knee concern yesterday; now it’s confirmed, and the timeline is open-ended. Barcelona for a specialist never means, like, ‘back in two weeks.’ And Allende was one of the guys doing actual work in the final third when Messi needed an out. That’s a real gap, not a rotation footnote. Miami are chasing the top of the Eastern Conference with a congested schedule. Losing a forward who can hold things together without Messi doing everything is the exact wrong moment for this. And now the back line is going to be asked to survive even more low blocks while the attack figures out the depth chart. That is my personal nightmare scenario. Here's ESPN:
Two goals and one assist marked yet another spectacular contribution from Miami superstar Messi on Wednesday. The Argentine magician was instrumental as the Herons fought back from 3-2 down to eventually beat Cincinnati 5-3 at TQL Stadium in Ohio.
ESPN has Messi at 13 goals and 4 assists through 16 games in 2026, and Wednesday’s win in Cincinnati added two more to that column. Miami were down 3-2 before flipping it to 5-3, which is either exhilarating or a mild cardiac event depending on how you watch this team. Down 3-2 on the road and Messi just decides to take over — that’s the event I’m talking about. But somebody needs to explain why Miami keeps making road matches this stressful before we can even enjoy the comeback. The defense was leaking at TQL Stadium, and that’s the part the tracker doesn’t show. Three goals conceded is a pattern worth watching as the schedule stacks up, especially with the World Cup block coming. Nicole Somma, writing in MARCA:
With 27 days and two games remaining before the MLS break for the World Cup, Lionel Messi wants to bring another Argentina national teammate to Inter Miami. Last year, Argentina’s No. 7, Rodrigo De Paul, joined the team and has been playing alongside Leo ever since, forming a great partnership both on and off the field. But now, the Argentines want Leandro Paredes to join them.
MARCA is reporting that Messi and De Paul are actively pushing to bring Leandro Paredes to Inter Miami — the former PSG midfielder, currently with the Argentine national team setup heading into the World Cup window. Paredes to Miami makes plenty of sense on the vibe side, but I need the roster-rule math before I get excited. Is he coming as a Designated Player, and does that mean somebody else moves out? That’s exactly the question. Miami have 27 days and two games before the MLS-World Cup break, so if this happens it’s almost certainly a post-tournament signing — but the timing of the talks still matters, and MARCA’s Nicole Somma has the byline here, so her follow-ups are worth tracking. World Soccer Talk, with Dante Gonzalez:
Rodrigo De Paul was one of Inter Miami‘s most high-profile recent signings, with Lionel Messi‘s influence playing a significant role in bringing him to the club. However, reports have emerged suggesting that De Paul’s stay in South Florida may have a built-in expiration date, with the Argentine midfielder planning to leave once Messi hangs up his boots.
ESPN Argentina’s Tomás Dávila — who has Racing Club ties and tends to be plugged in on Argentine players’ plans — is reporting that Rodrigo De Paul has made a personal decision: when Messi goes, he goes. No timeline attached, because that’s not De Paul’s call to make. Honestly, I believe it. De Paul didn’t come to MLS because he fell in love with the Eastern Conference standings. He came because Messi called. That’s a loyalty signing, not a project signing. Which is fine — until the front office has to replace one of the most expensive signings in league history at the exact moment they’re also replacing Messi. That’s a brutal offseason to plan around. And the roster-rule math on that is genuinely ugly. Two Designated Player slots opening at the same time, with the whole world watching what Miami does next. No pressure. If you like staying plugged into the soccer conversation every day, check out Angel City Daily Podcast, a daily ACFC supporter briefing covering match reaction, NWSL standings, roster moves, women’s soccer in Los Angeles, and supporter buzz. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts.
If you want to dig a little deeper, we’ve put links to every story from today’s episode in the show notes. Tap through to the ones that caught your ear.
That’s it for Inter Miami Daily Podcast today. This is a Lantern Podcast.