Coming into Wednesday, Nashville SC could claim relative success against Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami. Through three games against the Herons since they signed arguably the greatest soccer player of all time, Nashville had yet to lose in 90 minutes.
That streak is now over — and so is Nashville’s maiden voyage in the CONCACAF Champions Cup.
Inter Miami knocked Nashville out of its first intercontinental competition with a dominating, 3-1 victory at Chase Stadium in the second leg of the teams’ round of 16 series. Miami advanced to the quarterfinals, winning the series 5-3 on aggregate after a 2-2 draw in last Thursday’s first leg in Nashville.
Messi assisted his onetime Barcelona teammate, Luis Suarez, in the eighth minute, and Messi later scored his third goal in four games against Nashville. Suarez’s inch-perfect pass to Robert Taylor in the 63rd minute made the final half-hour more or less a formality, notwithstanding a stoppage-time goal by Sam Surridge.
Once again, Nashville’s quest for its first-ever trophy came to an end at the hands of Inter Miami. In last season’s U.S. Open Cup round of 16, the Herons defeated Nashville 2-1. Three months later, Messi won his first trophy as an American-based player with a victory in the Leagues Cup final at Geodis Park.
Nashville falls into early two-goal hole
Nashville isn’t used to playing from multiple goals down. Messi’s 23rd-minute goal marked the first time it faced a two-goal deficit since August 26, 2023, in a 4-0 loss to Atlanta United.
You have to go back even further to find the last time Nashville gave up two or more goals in the first half — to a 4-3 loss to Toluca the Leagues Cup group stage a month earlier.
As for trailing by multiple goals in the first half, Nashville hadn’t done that since a 2-1 loss at New York City FC last April. That was 37 competitive matches ago.
“(Inter Miami) started very, very brightly, and with all honesty, we were unable to contain them the first 15 minutes,” said Nashville coach Gary Smith. “That won them the game.”
Nashville struggles to contain Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez
With Walker Zimmerman missing his second consecutive game after he suffered a knee injury in the first leg, Smith made adjustments to the back line. Dan Lovitz, a left back by trade, replaced center back Jack Maher in the starting lineup and paired with Lukas MacNaughton while Taylor Washington and Shaq Moore started at fullback.
“I felt as though one change, one inversion on that left-hand side might offer the guys the best possible perspective,” Smith said. “Sadly, it wasn’t to be.”
While Lovitz rang the crossbar with a volley towards the end of the first half, Nashville’s organization was sloppy in the buildup to Inter Miami’s three goals. Smith thought not having Zimmerman’s stabilizing presence had something to do with it.
“There are a lot of guys that lean on Walker,” Smith said. “Tonight, the opening exchanges through the middle of our back line looked very uncertain, and the world-class stars that Miami has took advantage of it.”
Zimmerman underwent what Smith called a “non-invasive” procedure on his knee on Tuesday. Smith said the United States international could be out for three to four weeks but is still hopeful that his injury is “nothing serious.”
Sam Surridge makes impact after halftime substitution
After Messi made it 2-0, Inter Miami played more conservatively, appearing happy to let Nashville control the ball in wide areas while refusing to surrender the middle of the field.
For the most part, Gerardo Martino’s tactics were successful as Smith fielded a starting 11 without a true target forward. Nashville had little else to offer besides crosses, and Miami won most aerial duels in the first half.
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That changed slightly when Surridge entered the game after halftime, playing in just his second game since he hurt his shoulder in the CCC opener at Moca FC on Feb. 22. The 6-foot-3 Surridge gave Nashville a much more viable option to aim for in the penalty box.
Surridge took three shots in his half of play and tapped home a cross from Moore in the 93rd minute. The goal was Surridge’s seventh in 18 matches with Nashville.
Jacob Shames can be reached by email at jshames@gannett.com and on Twitter @Jacob_Shames.
First appeared on www.tennessean.com