Grading Inter Miami’s Historic Collapse Against Rivals Orlando City

Inter Miami were utterly embarrassed at Nu Stadium on Saturday night.

Lionel Messi (left) had three goal contributions, but Tyrese Spicer (right) scored the most important goal on Saturday. | Giorgio Viera/AFP/Getty Images, Calvin Hernandez/Getty Images

Inter Miami is no stranger to history, and it made more on Saturday night, but not the good kind, becoming just the third team in MLS history to lose after leading by three goals, falling 4–3 in the Florida Derby to Orlando City at Nu Stadium.

The Herons’ first 33 minutes were outstanding, featuring a goal and two assists from Lionel Messi, as the Argentine maestro picked out Telasco Segovia and Ian Fray to put his team ahead 3–0. Yet, everything quickly fell apart, with Martín Ojeda scoring a brilliant solo strike in the 39th minute, unleashing a shot past Dayne St. Clair after a quick spin around a defender. 

The onslaught continued for the Orlando side that has otherwise floundered this season, as the Lions leaned on pure direct soccer in the second half to pierce through Miami’s defensive weaknesses, featuring another two goals from Ojeda and a final winning strike from Tyrese Spicer in the third minute of second-half stoppage time. 

Messi is magical. 🔮 pic.twitter.com/v2PlU1vLuX

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 3, 2026

With the loss, Miami remains winless at Nu Stadium, defeated for the first time on the new turf after opening the grounds with three straight draws against Austin FC, Red Bull New York and the New England Revolution. 

Despite the thrilling scoreline, it was a memorable night for both goalkeepers as well. St. Clair made five stops, including a late breakaway off his face to temporarily hold Miami’s lead, while his Canadian counterpart Maxime Crépeau had a mesmerizing four-save sequence in a seven-save performance for Orlando. 

Here is Sports Illustrated’s breakdown of the match, featuring report card grades for each Inter Miami player who saw the pitch. 

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Inter Miami Report Card vs. Orlando City (4-3-3)

Lionel Messi was the only bright spot for Miami on Saturday. | Giorgio Viera / AFP via Getty Images

GK: Dayne St. Clair—D: It’s hard to see many positives for a goalkeeper who allowed a hat-trick, but if it weren’t for the Canadian international, Miami likely loses this game by a more significant margin. Featuring a save with his face and a breakaway stop, it was a decent performance from the Miami backstop.

RB: Ian Fray—C: Drawn back into the lineup as Miami went back to a four-man backline, Fray netted his first goal of the season in the first half, but struggled to defend counter-attacks in the second. However, that likely came down to a coaching decision, which Hoyos will regret.

CB: Micael—F: It was a catastrophic showing by both Miami center backs, and Micael was not spared from the poor performance. Pushing too high up the pitch, caught flat footed on Orlando counter attacks and failing to complete passes, it was a dismal night for the Brazilian.

CB: Maxi Falcón—F-: When I was in grade school, there was the option to get an “incomplete”grade on an assignment. It was worse than an F, and that's likely what Maxi Falcón deserved in this match, another day where his mistakes cost Miami critical points. This time, he was consistently behind the play, lost all three of his duels, had no defensive actions, was dribbled past three times and conceded the penalty, leading to the 3–3 goal. Without Falcón, Miami would be a better team.

LB: Noah Allen—D: In the 2025 MLS season, Noah Allen lamented the fact that he had to adjust to several positions and that he was unable to build consistency in one role. This year, he has shifted between left back and left wingback and has been one of the better performers, but failed to catch Tyrese Spicer on the go-ahead goal.

RM: Telasco Segovia—C: Telasco Segovia had a first half to remember, scoring a goal and picking up an assist as Miami launched out to a 3–0 lead. Yet, those efforts were quickly dashed by a lack of defensive effort in the second half, leaving the wide areas open for Orlando to expose.

CM: Rodrigo De Paul—D: Under pressure to impress in order to make the Argentina World Cup roster later this month, it was a bad day for Rodrigo De Paul in the center of the park. The veteran defensive midfielder failed to make critical tackles, leaving passing lanes open for Orlando to play directly through.

LM: Yannick Bright—C: Returning from suspension, Yannick Bright completed the most passes of any Inter Miami player and was largely unproblematic throughout the second-half collapse.

RW: Lionel Messi—A-: The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner scored a goal and had two assists in the first half in an impressive showing, but was clearly frustrated throughout the rest of the game, earning a yellow card as his team surrendered four goals in quick succession. Still, the three goal contributions are hard to rank poorly.

ST: Luis Suárez—D+: The Uruguayan attacker was a significant presence throughout his 71 minutes, picking up an assist and creating a game-high four scoring chances. Unfortunately, his age and mobility issues prevented him from making any significant defensive contributions.

LW: Germán Berterame—F: Germán Berterame continued to struggle on key opportunities, failing to finish into gaping goals in both halves, despite having 15 touches in the opposition’s box.

SUB: Facundo Mura (66’)—C: The Argentine wingback came into the game late on, but was unable to calm things down at the back, as Orlando continued their historic comeback.

SUB: Tadeo Allende (71’)—D: The hero of the 2025 MLS Cup playoffs, Allende made one threatening run as soon as he entered the match, but failed to produce any significant chances or make an impact at either end of the pitch.

Subs not used: Rocco Ríos Novo (GK), Daniel Sumalla, César Abadia-Reda, Gonzalo Luján, Alex Shaw, Preston Plambeck, Dániel Pintér

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The Problem That Won’t Go Away

Maxi Falcón’s footspeed is not up to MLS standards. | Leonardo Fernandez/MLS/Getty Images

Despite having some aerial prowess, the centre back pairing of Maxi Falcón and Micael struggles to keep up with the play. More often than not, the two can be seen pointing towards the attacker, making slow, albeit lung-busting, runs in a fruitless effort to get back in time.

At the same time, the technical direction they have been given is too aggressive at the best of times. Given the state of the game and momentum, there is a case to be made that Miami should not have pushed for a winner after giving up three goals—but that’s what they did on the clip below, leaving Micael and Falcón exposed, and Allen too far behind to make a difference. 

TYRESE SPICER. ORLANDO COME ALL THE WAY BACK TO TAKE THE LEAD 4-3. pic.twitter.com/2JDTySgjTm

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 3, 2026

The Herons are currently linked with Casemiro from Manchester United, and although that could clog up the midfield and shore things up there, maybe the club should be eyeing a fleet-footed central defender instead.  

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What’s Next For Inter Miami?

Inter Miami will want to quickly move on from the historic loss in the Florida Derby and look towards next week’s trip to Canada, where they will face a Toronto FC side completing a nine-game home stand at BMO Field. Following that match-up, the Herons face a double gameweek, with a visit to FC Cincinnati on May 13, before returning to Nu Stadium on May 17 against the Portland Timbers, still desperately searching for a first victory at the new grounds.

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