A Messi letdown and a Houston Dynamo masterclass in the U.S. Open Cup final

Fireworks shot out from the DRV Pink stadium rafters. The center circle was also alight with pyrotechnics as a lone guitarist ripped into a heavy metal guitar solo. He continued to shred enthusiastically as the Inter Miami and Houston Dynamo players entered the pitch. Real Madrid and France national team legend Zinedine Zidane looked on, as a guest of Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham.

It was a fitting pre-game introduction for the 108th U.S. Open Cup final. Yet for many, and likely for Zidane, it was tinged with disappointment.

Moments before, news broke that Lionel Messi would not play for Inter Miami that night – absent from the matchday squad due to a reported right hamstring injury that has hampered him since Sept. 7 – the night he scored the winner for Argentina in a World Cup qualifier against Ecuador. Since then, the Inter Miami and Argentina captain has been unable to reach full fitness. He wasn’t expected to start on Thursday, but there was hope among the near-sellout crowd that Messi would at least make a cameo appearance late in the match.

“It wasn’t prudent for him to play,” Inter Miami manager Tata Martino said about Messi afterward. “Not even for a minute.”

Messi’s omission from the night’s festivities was a big blow to a tournament that would have benefited greatly from Messi’s stardom. The final was broadcast by CBS Sports and Telemundo Deportes stateside. TyC Sports in Argentina acquired the rights for the Open Cup final to showcase their World Cup-winning captain. It felt underwhelming as kickoff neared.

After the final whistle, however, Houston’s impressive performance in a 2-1 win provided a new storyline – one that, like Messi’s, will carry on as the MLS season concludes and the playoffs begin in a few weeks.

Houston’s opener came from former Indiana University winger Griffin Dorsey, a first-round pick in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft. Like the pre-game guitar riff, that too felt on brand for the oldest active cup tournament in American soccer. The Colorado-born Dorsey, a young MLS journeyman, smashed a one-time shot past Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender in the 24th minute, setting the tone for a deservedly victorious night for the visitors.

“They were missing a player or two but I don’t really care,” Dynamo head coach Ben Olsen said afterward.”I think they missed them tonight, but that’s OK, they’re still a really good team. I’m not going to take away anything from our group tonight.”

Houston’s solid won’t sneak up on anyone moving forward. They play loose. They’re creative in the final third and lean heavily on their veteran-led midfield. Mexico international Hector Herrera had 99 touches in the match and was truly massive on the night alongside his central midfield partner Artur. That allowed Adalberto Carrasquilla to roam freely as No. 10, which in turn opened up opportunities for the likes of winger Corey Baird and Dorsey.

Both teams sought the initiative and attacked at will from the beginning. But Houston had the better game plan. With his midfield in control, manager Ben Olsen unleashed Colombian winger Nelson Quiñones down the left flank, targeting the space that Miami fullback DeAndre Yedlin left open throughout the first half. Quiñones would later earn a penalty in the 32 minute after beating Yedlin on a full sprint into Callender’s penalty area. Yedlin hacked Quiñones down in the box to further compound Miami’s troubles.

“I thought it was a very exhausted team, really,” said Martino of his squad. “That’s the reality of things. Some could see that we are not doing well physically or tactically, even. The reality is that we were going to feel the effects of all the games we’ve been playing.”

Indeed, Inter Miami has played 16 games in all competitions in the 68 days since Lionel Messi made his debut – on average, a game every four days or so. Wednesday’s final comes during a stretch when Miami has played four games in 11 days. Miami was flat and looked fatigued throughout the match, failing to register a shot on goal until the 42nd minute.

“We prepared for Messi and Alba,” Olsen said. “Let’s be honest, they’re a different team with and without them. But we also heard the rumors, but we also had a very clear gameplan with and without them.”

For Martino, the result was a reality check. Inter Miami is very clearly a different team when Messi, Busquets and Alba are on the field together and clicking. Martino brought on Josef Martinez (who scored late to make things interesting), homegrown David Ruiz, Dixon Arroyo and Nicolas Stefanelli in the second half. Those adjustments turned the game in Miami’s favor. But there was a spark missing that only Messi could provide.

“We wanted to win this game,” said Inter Miami defender Serhiy Kryvtsov. “(Messi) didn’t play today but that’s a question for the medical staff. He was very important for this game.”

Arroyo was asked why it had taken Inter Miami until the second half to match Houston’s intensity.

“It was a final and every detail matters,” he said. “You’re inaccurate. You’re nervous. It’s not your day. Sometimes you wake up and just don’t feel right. It makes everything harder. It hurts to lose this final at home. We have to turn the page and focus on what’s next.”

Arroyo acknowledged that Houston had played well. “They’re great opponents. They have very good players and their midfield is very technical. It would’ve been different had we been better in the first half and if some of those chances had gone in the second half.”

The loss was Martino’s seventh defeat in a final as head coach. Martino previously lost three Copa America finals (with Paraguay in 2011 and with Argentina in 2015 and 2016). He lost a Copa del Rey with Barcelona to Real Madrid and most recently lost two continental finals to the United States as head coach of Mexico. He managed Messi in three of those finals losses. On Wednesday, without Messi, Martino was visibly frustrated by his side’s decision-making. He argued with the fourth official and had a brief verbal spat with a Dynamo assistant.

As Arroyo said, it wasn’t Miami’s night. After this loss, the MLS playoff push is now Inter Miami’s last stand in Messi’s debut season.

(Photo: Jason Allen/ISI Photos/Getty Images)