Javier Mascherano shouldered the full responsibility for Inter Miami's early exit from the CONCACAF Champions Cup to Nashville SC in midweek.
Miami were dumped out in the last 16 by Nashville despite a 1-1 draw at Chase Stadium, with BJ Callaghan's side advancing to the next round on the away goals rule.
Lionel Messi opened the scoring in the seventh minute, with his strike taking him to 900 career goals, but Nashville equalised 16 minutes from time through Cristian Espinoza.
It's the earliest that Miami have exited the Champions Cup, having previously reached the semi-finals and last eight, and Mascherano conceded his side went out with a whimper.
The Herons finished with an expected goals (xG) total of just 0.87 from their 10 attempts, compared to Nashville's 1.06 from their five shots, only two of which were on target.
"Unfortunately, we conceded a goal from an unlucky play. There were a lot of things happening. And in the end, we were eliminated," Mascherano said.
"The truth is, I have nothing to reproach the players for. They gave everything; the one responsible for this elimination is me.
"We had the hope of being able to advance in the competition, in what was a very, very even tie.
"Today we took the lead and had some chances to score another goal or two, especially in the first half.
"But the match was clearly still in danger because it was very evenly contested against a strong opponent."
FT in Fort Lauderdale. pic.twitter.com/3V7lqGzgJA
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) March 19, 2026
And Miami will be hoping to get back on track when they return to MLS action this weekend, but they face a stern test against early pace setters New York City FC.
After drawing their opening game of the 2026 campaign against the Los Angeles Galaxy, Pascal Jansen's side have since put together three consecutive victories.
The Pigeons beat the Colorado Rapids 3-1 last time out, and their success has been helped by the displays of defender Kevin O'Toole.
O'Toole was called up to the Republic of Ireland's squad at the end of last year but missed out on the latest play-off squad, but he remained confident of future call-ups.
"At the end of the day, that's what gets you to that next step in your career," O'Toole said.
"I think that was kind of the thing that impressed me most — that in order to earn call-ups, you need to be performing well, week in and week out.
"A lot of stuff is happening at once. It's an exciting place to be in."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
NYCFC – Nicolas Fernandez
Nicolas Fernandez scored two of NYCFC's three goals in their win on Saturday, taking his total to nine goals in 20 MLS appearances (regular season & playoffs) for the club.
He has scored six goals in his last seven games for the club dating back to game three of the first round against Charlotte.
Inter Miami – Lionel Messi
In regular-season matches since Lionel Messi’s debut, Miami has won 60.4 percent of the matches in which he’s started, scoring 2.5 goals per match.
In the 37 matches in which he has either not played or come off the bench, Miami has won 48.6 percent of the time, averaging 1.8 goals per match.
MATCH PREDICTION: DRAW
After winning just one of their first 12 matches against NYCFC (D4 L7), Miami has won two straight over the Pigeons, including a 5-1 win in last year's Eastern Conference Final. The Herons have scored nine goals over the two wins after netting 11 times in the first 12 matches.
Miami played a goalless draw with Charlotte on Saturday with Messi missing out. The Herons have not played consecutive regular-season games without a goal since May 2023, two months before Messi made his debut with the club.
NYCFC, meanwhile, are off to their best four-match start to a season in club history, equalling their total of 10 points after four games in 2018. The Pigeons' 11 goals are also their most after four matches of a season, surpassing the previous mark of nine set in 2021.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
NYCFC – 35.6%
Draw – 26.1%
Inter Miami – 38.3%