Inter Miami rested Lionel Messi again and scraped through with a 2-0 victory over Jamaica's Cavalier in the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions Cup round-of-16 tie on Thursday.
Messi, who also missed Sunday’s 4-1 win over Houston in MLS, is not reported to be injured, with the club citing "load management" for his absence.
Miami coach Javier Mascherano seemed confident his team could secure a win without the World Cup winner, but for the first hour, that confidence appeared misplaced.
The Jamaican side impressed with their counterattacks, energy in midfield, and solid defense, keeping Miami at bay for much of the match.
Indeed, the visitors could have taken the lead in the 28th minute when Jamilio Rigters whipped a cross from the left toward the far post, but the arriving Jalmaro Calvin couldn’t get his shot on target.
Minutes later, the Jamaican side was denied by the woodwork when Calvin was found inside the box, and the ball deflected off the lunging David Martinez and struck the post.
Just before halftime, the Jamaicans thought they had the lead when Miami failed to deal with a free kick into the box. Richard King set up Shaquille Stein, who slotted home.
However, the celebrations were cut short when the referee signaled for a VAR review.
After several minutes, much to the fury of the away side, the effort was ruled out for offside.
There was a more determined approach from Miami after the break, and they were rewarded in the 61st minute when, after a goalmouth scramble, the ball fell to Tadeo Allende, who fired into the corner.
Cavalier paid the price for their high-energy approach in the first half, tiring as the game wore on. In the 83rd minute, their weary defense was punished when Luis Suarez pounced after a poor touch by Shamar Watson and tucked home the second.
The return leg will be played in Kingston on March 13, and whether Messi will make his first appearance on the Caribbean island remains to be seen.
Mascherano denied that Messi was suffering from anything other than tiredness.
"I am guided by what the doctors tell me, and the doctors have told me that he has no injuries or scars. He is tired from having played three games in six days, from the changes in the weather, from a lot of situations. Since we want to take care of him and avoid aggravating that fatigue, we decided to rest him," said the Argentine.
Mascherano was critical of his team's first-half performance, saying they lacked intensity. Cavalier coach Rudolph Speid, however, was still fuming over the disallowed goal.
"I just think if there were a million referees in the world, a million minus one would have made that call," he said.
Speid said his team believed they could pull off an upset in the return leg but brushed off questions about Messi's absence.
"We came here to play Inter Miami, not Messi," he said.
