The Rondo: Assessing Inter Miami - Given Lionel Messi's current form and consecutive 3-0 losses, are Javier Mascherano's side still legitimate MLS Cup contenders?

Tom Hindle: Well, the scoreline wasn't exactly a barnstormer. It looked like many Miami performances over the last couple of years: they have a lot of the ball, Messi does some fun things. But they're so vulnerable on the break. If Messi buries that penalty, then maybe things look a bit different - vibes and momentum are frightfully important in this game. So, is it bad? Sure, in the sense that they lost heavily to an Eastern Conference rival. But it was entirely predictable.

Alejandro Orellana: In football, there are different types of defeats, but Miami's loss to Charlotte highlights a big gap between the teams that are championship contenders and those that are not. The 3-0 defeat, added to the final loss in the Leagues Cup, paints a clear picture of the teams that will be fighting for MLS Cup - and right now, it's hard to see  Mascherano’s team in that race. During the transfer window, Miami failed to cover up its weaknesses, despite the signing of Rodrigo de Paul. On the other hand, Dean Smith’s team secured their ninth consecutive win and appeared a stronger, better-coached side that doesn't rely on just one player - unlike Miami with Messi.

Alex Labidou: There’s no shame in losing to Charlotte, a team that has tied the all-time record win streak in MLS. Rather, it is the way that it happened, and the timing. Inter Miami were coming off the Leagues Cup final and had 14 days to prepare. Outside of an inspired opening 20-30 minutes, Miami were easily outdone by the counterattack  - an issue that has plagued them since last season. In soccer, a forfeit is considered a 3-0 defeat. Based on what was shown Saturday, maybe Miami should’ve considered that.

TH: The same it has been for 18 months: there's no defensive structure in this team. They're too old to press high convincingly, and don't have the legs on the break to drop deep, either. The logical solution is to piece together a truly balanced system, and that hasn't worked out for 90 minutes. You can't really highlight individuals as much as a collective here.

AO: Miami has many weaknesses across all positions, and the team seems to depend entirely on Messi’s form. If Messi comes out on fire, the show is guaranteed. But if the Argentine star is contained or just not having a good day - as happened on Saturday and in the Leagues Cup final - Miami look like a broken machine. The spine of the team is made up of veterans: Messi, De Paul, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and Luis Suárez. Those are intimidating names- no one would want to face them. But the reality is that they are players in the twilight of their careers and no longer able to consistently compete with the emerging MLS talent.

AL: Miami’s biggest weaknesses are poor roster construction and tactical inflexibility. Outside of the second half of the Leagues Cup final, Mascherano has largely relied on a 4-4-2, playing Messi as a second striker. De Paul, one of the world’s best box-to-box midfielders, has been largely miscast in a wide midfielder role. You’re paying this man a lot of money to play a role he’s largely unfamiliar with and is taking him away from what he does best in the center of the pitch. Mascherano clearly doesn’t trust Fafa Picault to start games - or play much at all - and the team doesn’t have options like last season when it could rely on Robert Taylor or Julian Gressel to occasionally step up. All of that is concerning when Miami’s top two attacking options are 38 years old.

TH: Yes? No? Maybe? All of the noise from the man himself suggests that he will still be wearing Miami pink at a brand new stadium next season. But the few months after the campaign will be interesting. Everyone's favorite rumor is a little Barca loan, but that'll be hard - if not impossible. In an ideal world he gets to rest up, perform next season, and play at the World Cup for Argentina.

AO: Messi’s future will never be in doubt. He’s the greatest player of all time, and he’ll stop when he decides to stop. Until that happens, nothing will change. Whatever fuel he has left in the tank - a lot or a little - is a type of fuel every team in the world would love to have. When it comes to Inter Miami, he remains the most invaluable player on the roster.

AL: He hasn’t signed an extension, and he already hinted he might not play in the 2026 World Cup. Considering a lot of Messi’s reported motivation for playing was getting ready to help Argentina defend their status as world champions, there should be alarm bells ringing in South Beach. He's mentioned that injuries could be a factor, and he has not looked the same since suffering an knock at the start of the Leagues Cup. Injury-related or not, he doesn’t have the same explosiveness that he showed at the start of the season. It appears increasingly likely that Messi will consider retirement following this season.

TH: There are probably four or five better teams in front of them, but how many of them have Messi? Cincinnati seem to be the team to beat in the East, and you'd back San Diego, Vancouver and Seattle in the West. The funny thing is, no matter how much they struggle, the Messi effect simply cannot be ignored.

AO: Don’t see them winning the trophy, but as long as you have Messi, you can never fully count them out. The real problem is Mascherano, who has shown time and again that the job is too big for him. The “Messi and Friends” group needs to move on, because Mascherano isn’t going to lead them to a championship. At times, the Herons have looked solid, but in other moments, the team has fallen apart. The manager doesn’t seem to have what it takes to win a title.

AL: That might be Miami's goal, but there are at least six teams that are better equipped to win the title: LAFC, Seattle, FC Cincinnati, Minnesota, Vancouver and Charlotte. And that’s not even including conference-leading Philadelphia, who have shown some inconsistencies, and San Diego, which is trying to win it all in their first season. The age and lack of depth of this Miami team, tied with their tactical issues, mean they likely won’t be lifting the Cup this season. As NFL coach Bill Parcells once said, you are what your record says you are - and right now Miami are eighth in the East.

TH: Well, he's not exactly a masterful tactician - but we already knew that. The real issue here is squad building. Miami have gone big on attacking talent. They should have spent on centerbacks who can bail them out. History has shown that you need elite defenders to win MLS Cup. Miami don't have that. 

AO: Mascherano gets 100 percent of the blame. He doesn't prepare this team, just as he didn't with the Argentine national team that went to the Paris Olympics. Miami’s front office should be very concerned. Not only are they not favorites, the players making up the squad are only getting older. You can't imagine this team's ownership group allowing the Messi-Suárez-Busquets era to slip away without winning a MLS title.

AL: His roster is unbalanced, yes, but the reality is Mascherano has looked out of his depth as manager. This is a squad that doesn’t know how to make in-game adjustments and, more concerningly, has discipline issues - ranging from the Leagues Cup brawl to untimely red cards. Mascherano promised this team would be more defensively sound than it was under predecessor Tata Martino, but Miami have conceded 43 goals - six fewer than last season and there’s still four matches left. Instead of experimenting with different approaches to get the best out of this team, Mascherano has been predictable and hasn't properly managed Messi’s minutes. Change is needed, but it likely won’t happen until Messi retires.