Lionel Messi leaves former Inter Miami coach red-faced after latest wondergoal
Phil Neville and his coaching staff will be wondering what could have been if they remained in place for Lionel Messi's arrival, but his assistant wasn't confident things would change.
Jason Kreis claimed that Lionel Messi would not be able to change Miami (Image: GETTY)
Inter Miami's former assistant coach has been embarrassed by Lionel Messi, who has proved him extremely wrong since arriving this summer. Jason Kreis left Miami along with the rest of the coaching staff when head coach Phil Neville was sacked by the club, and the transformation ever since has been remarkable.
Miami are now in their first ever cup final since being founded by David Beckham after beating Philadelphia Union 4-1 on Tuesday, and Messi is to thank for another stunning goal as he continues to change their form.
The franchise are still bottom of the Eastern Conference back in MLS, but they've advanced to the final of the Leagues Cup as Messi has won his first six games in the United States. He's scored nine goals in six games, and Miami has looked like a completely different team ever since he first took to the field.
But back in 2014, before Miami was even in existence, Kreis made a bold claim about MLS and Messi. "I firmly believe that if you put Lionel Messi on the worst team in Major League Soccer, they would still be the worst team in Major League Soccer," Kreis said.
It may only be six games, but his opinion couldn't have been more wrong as Miami appear unstoppable now that he's on the team. And it's not just because of him, he's lifted the entire team around him too.
Miami only have five MLS wins in 22 games so far this regular season, meaning that Messi has already inspired more wins since making his debut last month. Four of their six wins have seen them score four or more goals.
Miami have now scored four goals on four occasions in Messi's first six games, something that had only been achieved on three occasions in their first 122 all-time matches. Miami have also scored 21 goals since Messi's arrival when they'd only achieved one more than that in the MLS in 22 games.
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The team has scored 11 first-half goals in six Leagues Cup matches with Messi in the team when they only managed seven goals before halftime in their 22 regular season games in 2023. The list is endless to highlight Messi's impact, leaving Kreis embarrassed.
His comments may have been made in 2014 when MLS was very different from what it is today. But it's proven just how amazing Messi is if it wasn't always obvious due to his seven Ballon d'Or awards.
Miami can win their first trophy on Saturday if they can beat Nashville SC, but it'll be back to reality once MLS action resumes. They remain bottom of the Eastern Conference, but it's unlikely that they'll stay there for long.
