Inter Miami still searching for championship formula after another deflating tie
It had spectacle. It had a sold out crowd.
It had the atmosphere that Inter Miami had envisioned in a home field advantage.
But what the debut of Nu Stadium did not have on Saturday night was a victory by the home side.
That’s because, self-admittedly after the game, Inter Miami’s team itself did not match the intensity of its new home on the field enough during a disappointing 2-2 draw against Austin.
The reigning MLS Cup champions continue to struggle to find the level of consistency that led them to said feat in 2026.
They had customary moments of brilliance from their captain and megastar, Lionel Messi, who fittingly scored the team’s first goal in their new home in the 10th minute.
But that came only after the visitors scored the first ever goal in the stadium’s history when Guilherme Biro struck the first blow in the game’s sixth minute.
“Anytime you give up an early goal it’s not ideal, especially at home,” Inter Miami goalkeeper Dayna St. Clair said. “When you talk about the outside factors of opening a new stadium, you definitely want the first goal to be your own. But we were able to fight back and take a positive turn in our direction.”
That reversal of fortune came only after 39-year-old legend-turned-reserve Luis Suarez rescued the team from defeat with a goal off a corner kick to level the score at 2 in the 81st minute. Suarez nearly secured Miami three points after all with what seemed like a goal right at the outset of stoppage time, but was ruled offside.
But for a team that was looking for a fresh start after playing its first five league games on the road, it was not enough.
“The first half we did not play well,” Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano said. “We didn’t have intensity and we kind of gave away the first goal. Against these types of rivals, when you do that, you complicate yourself.”
The reason Inter Miami can point to that nice new sign on the wall high above the field at Nu Stadium that commemorates their league title last year is because it learned to put together complete performances.
They were able to match their elite scoring threats with stingy defense.
Two of the biggest architects of that approach - Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba - are gone. And so far, a revamped roster hasn’t been able to put together a similar performance yet for an entire match.
It’s why the club has two draws already in league play and four overall if you count the two against Nashville that led to its deflating early dismissal from the Concacaf Champions Cup.
Inter Miami allowed an upset-minded opponent to gain a foothold early, which is something the club realizes it can’t continue to do against a league full of opposition hungry to dethrone them this season.
“We went a while there without playing like ourselves. We have to realize that all the other teams really want to beat us, being that we’re the defending league champions,” Inter Miami defender Maxi Falcon said. “Teams come here trying to take our heads off. We didn’t take that seriously in the first half, and we paid for it.”
Falcon returned from injury and played in his first game since March 11 when he suffered a left knee injury against Nashville.
He nearly scored a winning goal twice on headers in the final moments as Miami completely flipped the script in the second half and finished with a 27-9 advantage in goal attempts.
This after Miami made multiple adjustments including dropping a third defender to the back and adding scoring punch with Suarez up front.
The season is still extremely young having played only six matches. Inter Miami finds itself in a three-way tie for second place in the Eastern Conference after Saturday’s games and only two points behind first-place Nashville.
But the dream of a Champions Cup title is gone thanks to this early inconsistency. And if Miami doesn’t find itself eventually, so could the dream of a repeat MLS title.
“We need to have better focus and a better attitude. We just didn’t have that,” Falcon said. “Teams will play 110 percent against us, and you have to respond the same way. We did that more in the second half, but we need to do it for the whole match.”
This story was originally published April 5, 2026 at 7:31 AM.
