Can Lionel Messi play defense?! Atrocious Inter Miami in no state to launch MLS title bid as poor preseason hits new low with Al-Nassr thrashing

Make no mistake about it: this preseason has gone about as poorly as possible. It is preseason, though, so you'd expect the team to need a bit of seasoning. Anyone who looks too deep into preseason results is a fool. There are simply too many variables at play to judge a team fully based on these first few games.

But it doesn't take any sort of deep dive to see that Miami is nowhere near complete. Injuries to Facundo Farias and Benjamin Cremaschi are the preseason's biggest setbacks, even bigger than the 6-0 shellacking on Thursday. The priority of every team is to make it through preseason healthy. It's still early, and Miami hasn't.

The second priority is to grow towards something, anything, of a shape defensively. The attacking side of the ball comes together once everyone is sharp but, defensively, a preseason is all about getting reps, communicating and improving as you go.

Miami surely haven't done anything close to improving. Their tepid 0-0 draw with El Salvador was frustrating, but not too worrisome. The 1-0 loss to FC Dallas was a setback, but one that could surely be overlooked. The 4-3 loss to Al-Hilal was a tale of two halves, one horrendous and one decent.

There was nothing decent about the shellacking at the hands of Al-Nassr, though. From an Inter Miami perspective, it was a nightmare.

The goals came early and they came often. It was a tidal wave. Miami could do absolutely nothing to stop it. They were helpless as Al-Nassr crashed down upon them.

Three goals in the first 12 minutes.... that's one way to set a tone. Al-Nassr did just that, showing Inter Miami from the opening whistle that this game was going to be a bloodbath. After somewhat surviving a haymaker from Al-Hilal before fighting back, Miami had no fight left to give on Thursday, particularly without Messi on the field.

The attacking side of the field, though, wasn't the issue; the defense is where it all went wrong. Time and time again, Miami made mistakes, with each one seemingly different from the last. Horrible giveaways, poor positioning, bad structure... the loss had it all. Worst of all, it had a 60-yard free-kick golazo from Aymeric Laporte, one that could have been prevented if someone, anyone, was paying the least bit of attention.

It was a frightening display of defending, one made even more frightening by the fact that, in some ways, it felt a bit predictable.

No one is worried about Miami's attack. This is a team that has Messi, for goodness sake. This is a team that just signed Luis Suarez. They'll get their goals.

But, even heading into this season, there were major question marks in their defense. The decision to trade Kamal Miller, a top MLS defender, looks weirder by the day. Miami had a legitimate All-Star at centerback and they let him go just three months after signing him to a new deal.

“Pretty surprised by the whole thing,” Miller told MLSsoccer.com. “Especially after signing an extension and the club being so adamant on having me there. And with the upcoming World Cup 2026 they were like, ‘Oh, we're so happy to have a player that is going to be there for Canada representing the club.’

“So it's all pretty much out of nowhere. But I understand why it had to happen. It's part of the business.”

At centerback, the club is relying heavily on players at two ends of their careers. One is Serhiy Kryvtsov, a 32-year-old Ukrainian international who, to his credit, was pretty good in 2023. The others are 19-year-olds Tomas Aviles and Noah Allen, players with plenty of potential but little real experience.

It's a bold gamble, one that, so far, has totally backfired. Through four games, Miami have conceded 11 goals, including 10 during their Saudi Arabian trip. What was supposed to be a message to the world about how far the club has come with Messi's arrival instead turned into a message to those in charge that this defense is nowhere near ready.

The good news, though, is that help is on the way. In fact, it's already in the squad.

Miami will hope that the club has already addressed the problem. They have already made a centerback signing, after all.

The pressure will be on Nicolas Freire, the 29-year-old Argentinian brought in on loan from Pumas. A true veteran, Freire has played for clubs in both South America and Europe and should offer a bit more experience and guile to the Miami backline.

“Nicolas offers us a sturdy defensive presence who we know will work hard and help command the backline,” said Inter Miami Chief Soccer Officer and Sporting Director Chris Henderson. “He’s been successful in several high-quality competitions throughout his career, and we’re excited to bring him on board to help us compete for titles in 2024. We believe his experience will be an asset for us.”

The centerback hasn't featured yet in preseason, so it's impossible to know how exactly he'll fit within the team. From what we've seen, Miami will need a lot from him just to get the defensive side from atrocious to competent, let alone good.

He might not be the only newcomer. The club received an international roster spot and, based on incentives, $100,000 for shipping Christopher McVey to D.C. United this week. Could those assets be used to add another piece? Potentially. It's safe to say Inter Miami's front office will be assessing all of their options after Thursday's defeat.

At the end of the day, despite all of the above and all of the concerns generated by Thursday's loss, Inter Miami will likely be just fine in MLS. They're still unfathomably talented, and they still have the player many see as the best of all time.

The fact of the matter is that Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr are more talented than any MLS team. They're teams loaded with talent both young and old, players that could easily be playing in the Champions League. Inter Miami have a few of those guys, too, but, due to a combination of age, rust and fitness, they haven't quite looked like it.

MLS teams won't test Miami in the way Al-Nassr did. There are no Anderson Taliscas running around in MLS, nor any Otavios. Few, if any, MLS defenders would even think about doing what Laporte did on his goal, and all of them would fail miserably. Even without Ronaldo, Al-Nassr are a force, one that was too strong for Miami to handle.

The hope will be that they're now better for it. A lesson learned, a punch on the chin, a humbling defeat... maybe that's what Inter Miami needed. Either way, it's what they got as the MLS season looms large.

Preseason isn't over, though. In fact, Inter Miami is just past the halfway mark.

Up next is a trip to Asia, which begins with a match against the Hong Kong XI. A loss there would certainly set off the alarm bells but, realistically, Miami should be winning that game. On the surface, it feels like a good pick-me-up game for a team that needs one now more than ever.

After that, a clash with Vissel Kobe should provide a good test. Known best outside of Asia for previously being home to Andres Iniesta and David Villa at one point, Vissel Kobe were phenomenal last season, winning the J-League for the first time in their history.

And then, finally, a return home. Messi will get to face his childhood club, Newell's Old Boys, at DRV PNK Stadium in one last friendly before MLS kicks off. It remains to be seen what the mood will be like for that one. Will Messi be content looking back at Messi's past, or will they be a team somewhat nervous about their future?

Either way, the MLS season is right around the corner. We're less than three short weeks away from the start of it all. And, having seen what we've seen, the Inter Miami defense has a lot of growing to do if they hope to live up to the club's lofty expectations.