Orlando City Crushes Messi-less Inter Miami 4-1 as Muriel Steals the Spotlight
Orlando, Aug. 11, 2025 — Inter Miami’s night in Orlando was one they’ll want to forget — and not just because Lionel Messi wasn’t on the pitch. With their talisman sidelined by injury, Miami looked short of firepower as Orlando City stormed to a dominant 4-1 victory in Sunday’s Major League Soccer clash.
The storyline coming into the match was all about Messi’s absence. The 38-year-old Argentine, tied with Nashville SC’s Sam Surridge for the league lead at 18 goals, missed out due to a right leg injury sustained in a Leagues Cup match against Necaxa on August 2. In the 18 matches he’s played this season, Messi has been directly involved in nearly every key attacking moment for Miami. Without him, the team’s sixth-place standing in the Eastern Conference suddenly looked fragile.
And Orlando wasted no time exposing that vulnerability. Just two minutes into the match, Luis Muriel pounced to give the home side the lead, sending the Exploria Stadium crowd into early celebrations. But Miami found an instant reply — and from an unlikely source. Yannick Bright, making his 40th appearance, finally found the back of the net for the first time in his career, leveling the score after just five minutes of play.
If Miami thought that equalizer would shift the momentum, they were mistaken. Orlando regrouped quickly, and Muriel struck again before the halftime whistle. The Colombian forward, who has quietly been one of the most consistent performers in the league this year, made the most of service from Martín Ojeda, who notched his 13th assist of the campaign.
Ojeda was far from done. In the second half, he turned scorer, netting his 14th goal of the season to make it 3-1 and cementing his status as MLS’s most productive attacking player with 27 total goal contributions so far. By that point, Miami looked bereft of ideas, unable to find the cutting edge usually provided by their absent captain.
Orlando then put the game to bed in the 88th minute when Marco Pašalić struck unassisted. The Croatian’s 10th goal in his debut MLS season sealed a comprehensive win for the home team and pushed them up to fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings.
For Orlando’s head coach Oscar Pareja, the result carries personal significance as well. He now sits just one win away from reaching the milestone of 100 victories across all competitions — a feat that reflects his steady influence over the team’s growth in recent seasons.
For Miami, the defeat was a stark reminder that having matches in hand is not the same as having points in the bank. They remain sixth in the East, three games behind the top four and two behind fifth-place Columbus Crew in terms of games played. With the playoff race tightening, every point matters, and the clock is ticking for Messi’s return.
Inter Miami’s next chance to bounce back comes at home against the Los Angeles Galaxy on Saturday, while Orlando City will host Sporting Kansas City on the same night. Whether or not Messi recovers in time could determine how quickly Miami can steady their campaign — and whether their postseason hopes remain intact.
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