In the 2023 US Open Cup final between Inter Miami vs Houston Dynamo, Inter Miami could not have achieved anything without the services of Lionel Messi. They accepted a 1-2 loss to Houston Dynamo, thereby destroying their dream of winning a double title.

Welcoming Houston Dynamo at home, Inter Miami ended up without the services of Messi due to the Argentine superstar’s injury. Another former Barca player, Jordi Alba, is also absent, and it all signals a stormy match for coach Tata Martino’s team.

That’s right, after the first 10 minutes of playing on par with Houston Dynamo, Inter Miami gradually became completely inferior. The home team was suffocated by their opponents and could only huddle in their own half, struggling to fend off continuous attacks. And then what had to happen finally happened.

In the 24th minute, right back Dorsey rose high, penetrated the penalty area to catch Artur’s pass and then kicked a hammer-like kick with his right foot into the roof of Inter Miami’s net. More than 10 minutes later, the gap was doubled for Houston Dynamo. The person who entered his name on the electronic board was Bassi with a successful 11-meter shot.

Leading by 2 goals, Inter Miami could not resist. There were times when this team had the ball but didn’t know what to do to approach Houston Dynamo’s goal. The statistics say it all, when in the first half, the away team launched 18 shots, 18 times more than Inter Miami. Only having to go into the net to pick up the ball twice was probably too lucky for Inter Miami.

In the second half, Houston Dynamo faltered, giving the game to Inter Miami. There was more space to play, but Inter Miami appeared stuck, lacking serious attack ideas. The absence of Messi makes this team almost harmless. In the 73rd minute, Quinones on the away team put the ball into Inter Miami’s net but the goal was not recognized because of offside.

Inter Miami’s relentless efforts only helped them score an honorable goal in the first minute of injury time thanks to Martinez. In the end, Houston Dynamo defeated Inter Miami 2-1 to win the US Open Cup for the second time in history. This is a worthy result for what the away team performed in this match.