For the first time since 2023, Inter Miami have been eliminated from the Leagues Cup after a disappointing Phase One group-stage campaign.
The Herons suffered a 3-2 defeat to Liga MX side León, who twice came from behind to secure the victory through goals from Daniel Arcila and J.P. Rodríguez.
Inter Miami were unable to do enough to advance despite Lionel Messi returning to the lineup following the heartbreaking death of his father, Jorge Messi.
The defeat came after Inter Miami had already lost to CF Monterrey, having opened their Leagues Cup campaign with a 4-2 win over Atlético de San Luis.
The game against León was significant for Messi, who returned to action shortly after suffering the loss of his father. While the 38-year-old was unable to make a major impact, his decision to play carried a deeper message of resilience to his teammates.
Yannick Bright, who scored Inter Miami's second goal, said Messi's presence demonstrated how much the captain cared about the team.
"I wasn't expecting it," he said. "It shows how much he cares. When I saw he was here, all I was thinking about was to give my 150% for him."
"It's a tough situation. We try to stay close to him and support him as much as we can, but it's a lot."
Lionel Messi during the Leagues Cup match between Inter Miami and Atletico San Luis.Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images
Guillermo Hoyos' team must now shift its attention back to the MLS for the remainder of the season where they currently sit second in the Eastern Conference.
Following the disappointing elimination, former USMNT forward Landon Donovan also shared his thoughts on the result.
Inter Miami have made their desire to compete for trophies clear in recent years having won the Leagues Cup in 2023 before lifting the MLS Cup in 2025.
However, Donovan believes their elimination against León was a disappointing outcome for a team with the talent and ambition of Inter Miami.
"Simply not good enough for them," he said.
"Sometimes there are questions in these tournaments, 'Do the players really care? Do the clubs really care?' They clearly cared. With the lineups they put out, they clearly cared, and they were up a goal twice in yesterday's game. So, disappointing for them."
Donovan also highlighted the significance of seeing Messi return to the field so soon after the loss of his father.
"Obviously really good to see Messi back out on the field with everything that's gone on with him this week, but disappointing for Inter Miami, and a team with that much talent and those aspirations, my guess is they're going to be very disappointed with this result."
The 44-year-old USMNT legend also pointed to Inter Miami's long-term ambition of winning major trophies. With another competition now gone, Donovan believes the club will face questions about how it responds moving forward.
"So, bad result for Miami. Very, very good comeback twice by León. But Miami, [have] some questions to answer because they put a lot of eggs, obviously, into winning trophies, and this is another one that slipped by. So, interesting to see how they respond to all this."
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Aug 14, 2026, where it first appeared in the Soccer section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
