Inter Miami player ratings vs Charlotte FC: Lionel Messi bails out the Herons, but late misses prove costly in captivating draw

Lionel Messi scored a memorable equalizer in the second half, but some wasteful play from Luis Suarez saw Miami drop points for third straight match

Lionel Messi scored but it wasn't enough as Inter Miami dropped points for the third straight game in a 1-1 draw against Charlotte FC.

An opportunistic Charlotte side largely found a way to keep Miami's stars at bay in a match where both sides will feel disappointed in not getting three points.

The Herons were quiet and largely ineffective for an hour, while Charlotte was rather wasteful. At the end of it all, a tie seemed an admittedly fair result -- although Miami's hopes at setting an MLS points record are slipping further and further away.

Both sides exchanged chances in the first half. Messi fired narrowly wide from the top of the box. Karol Swiderski's clever lob attempt landed on the roof of the net.

Charlotte took the lead in the 56th minute, Swiderski deflecting Brandt Bronico's shot past a wrong-footed Drake Callender. However, Messi provided the necessary moment of magic just minutes later as the Argentine finished on a curling an effort into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.

The game became stretched soon after. Miami had a penalty shout ruled out by VAR. Charlotte put the ball in the net, but saw it chalked off for an offside in the build up. Luis Suarez came closest, though, blasting one over goal from close range with the last kick of the game.

There will be some frustration in Florida here. Miami has now dropped points in three straight, and is rather stumbling its way to the Supporters Shield. The team still has three more matches in which it clinch MLS's best record but have opened the door slightly for the Columbus Crew, who have a game in hand.

GOAL rates Inter Miami's players from Chase Stadium...

Goalkeeper & Defense
Drake Callender (5/10):
Couldn't do anything about the opener. Little else for him to do.
Jordi Alba (6/10):
Played Swiderski onside for the Charlotte goal. Full of legs going forward, and was a real threat in the final third.
Sergio Busquets (6/10):
Doesn't look comfortable at center back, especially when the game is this stretched. Still showed up with a block or two when needed.
Tomas Aviles (6/10):
Made a couple of key defensive interventions in the first half, but was far less assured in the second when things opened up.
Marcelo Weigandt (5/10):
His flank was wide open for most of proceedings. Far from a convincing performance.

Midfield
Yannick Bright (7/10):
Put out all sorts of fires in midfield, and wasn't afraid to take a foul or two. Looked tired later on.
Julian Gressel (6/10):
Full of legs, but didn't offer much in terms of connecting play. Sacrificed for the more attacking Matias Rojas when Miami chased the game.
Federico Redondo (6/10):
Very tidy when he had the ball, but didn't really do his bit defensively. A real mixed bag.
IMAGN
Attack
Diego Gomez (6/10):
Not as involved as he might have hoped, and was lacking in his final ball. Could have done better from close range on at least one occasion.
Luis Suarez (6/10):
Ran the channels effectively - which can't be easy on one knee. Had a couple of half chances, but couldn't convert. Missed a sitter in the 101st minute.
Lionel Messi (8/10):
Suffocated every time he touched the ball. Smashed one home, pretty much when he decided to start trying.

Subs & Manager
Matias Rojas (6/10):
Offered real attacking thrust off the bench. Smashed one wide when he could have won it late.
Leo Campana (N/A):
No real time to make an impact.
Ian Fray (N/A):
No time to make an impact
Benjamin Cremaschi (N/A):
Blasted one over in stoppage time when he could have been a hero.
David Ruiz (N/A):
Barely had a kick.
Tata Martino (5/10):
Still coping with a few injuries, and pieced together a bit of an unsteady XI as a result. His team were good going forward in moments, but frighteningly vulnerable in transition. Dropping points for the third straight game isn't great.

Goalkeeper & Defense

Midfield

Attack

Subs & Manager