FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — New York City FC didn't need a reminder that Inter Miami wasn't just Lionel Messi against everyone else.
They still got one anyway, as three goals by Tadeo Allende and a crushing blow by Mateo Silvetti ended NYCFC 's season with a 5-1 loss in the Eastern Conference final in South Florida.
"When I walked in in January to start this project with my guys, one of the things that we mentioned is that we have to do better than the previous season. And if you look at it from an objective standpoint, that's what we did," head coach Pascal Jansen said. "But to finish the season like this tells us also that we have a few more lessons to learn. … In a game like this with the players that we have, even though we're missing three key players, it shouldn't be as naive as what we showed tonight. So more lessons to learn and time to rest now and full focus on next season, because we have to do better than this season again."
NYCFC lost to Inter Miami on Nov. 29, 2025. Getty Images
New York City FC felt the loss of leading scorer Alonso Martínez after being held to just one goal and failing to convert on a trio of second-half chances that would have tied the game.
Justin Haak scored NYCFC's only goal and Matt Freese allowed more than one goal in an MLS match for the first time since the regular-season finale Oct. 18.
Saturday's match also marked the first time that NYCFC had allowed the first goal in a match since the playoffs started.
It was the second time in 2025 that the star NYCFC keeper had surrendered four goals to Inter Miami.
"They have a good team and quality team, but we need to be more [prepared]," Thiago Martins said. "That's the reality. We conceded five goals. This is not normal for us, but we should be more [prepared]. Now we need to think next year and see what we can do best."
Still, there will be plenty for New York City FC to learn from moving forward, having fielded one of the youngest rosters in MLS this season.
Tadeo Allende celebrates during Inter Miami's 5-1 win over NYCFC. Getty Images
Down 2-1 to start the second half, NYCFC had an early chance out of halftime that was erased by one too many passes inside the penalty area.
A chance by Agustín Ojeda was stopped by the Miami keeper Rocco Ríos Novo in the 48th minute, and after Julián Fernández had a wide-open chance to tie things in the 66th minute, Miami blew the doors open with three straight goals.
Silvetti scored a minute later to make it 3-1 and Telasco Segovia made it a three-goal game in the 83rd minute.
Allende completed the hat trick with a goal in the 89th minute.
Rodrigo De Paul and Lionel Messi (right) celebrate during Inter Miami's win over NYCFC. Getty Images
"It's one of the experiences that's for sure," Jansen said when asked if his squad needed to go through a match like the one Saturday to grow. "The way we conceded our goals tonight is so unlike us. I haven't seen that throughout the season, so I don't know exactly what it is. Maybe a little pressure or whatever the case is, but we've dealt with these types of situations. Being that naive and how we concede our goals today, playing against a team like Miami, you will get punished."
Inter Miami opened the scoring in the 14th minute when Sergio Busquets sent a long pass that allowed Allende to get to the ball in the penalty area for a blistering shot toward the inside post.
His second goal came in the 23rd minute when he flicked a header past Freese.
Haak helped keep NYCFC in the match with a goal of his own — the Brooklyn native's first of the playoffs — in the 37th minute.
