Everything went south for Inter Miami against Atlanta United last night. A 3-1 defeat at Chase Stadium saw them put a full stop to their 8-game unbeaten streak. As criticism mounts in the aftermath, MLS expert Matt Doyle has added fuel to the fire, suggesting that Lionel Messi and his teammates can no longer claim the status of ‘prohibitive favorites’.

Seeing the squad of David Beckham‘s soccer franchise, anyone would crown them as favorites for the MLS Shield. However, Doyle believes that tag isn’t there for them now that they have lost Nicolas Freire to a season-ending injury. Speaking on the MLS Extratime podcast, the analyst said, “I don’t think there is a prohibitive favorite, but if Nicolas Freire doesn’t do his ACL, I would have said Miami. I think he was their best defender by a pretty decent margin this season.”

Doyle highlighted how Freire’s absence is a significant blow to their backline and how it could further mar their season. “The chain reaction of losing Freire has brought Miami to the pack to the point where I don’t think there’s a favorite between them and Cincinnati. I’m still picking Miami, but it’s not by a lot,” he added. Freire’s injury couldn’t have come at a worse time as Miami is already grappling with injuries to stars like Federico Rendondo, Diego Gomez, and Ian Fray.

Yesterday’s match further illustrates the detrimental impact of Freire’s injury on Inter Miami’s defense. Apart from the disappointing result, it marked a rare moment of disappointment for Messi, one he hadn’t experienced in the last three years. While not all blame falls on the defense, with one Miami star also criticizing their attack, the question remains: does Tata Martino and Co. have a solution to address the loss of Freire?

Inter Miami can fix the Nicolas Freire problem by signing a former rival of Lionel Messi

Recent reports suggest that Inter Miami is targeting Real Madrid veteran Nacho Fernandez as a potential replacement for Nicolas Freire. The Florida-based club sees Nacho as a valuable addition, especially given his experience and availability, with his contract at Madrid set to expire this summer. Despite Madrid’s alleged lack of interest in extending his stay, competition for the 34-year-old is fierce, with interest also emerging from clubs in Saudi Arabia.

Inter Miami is reportedly exploring options to sign Nacho, either through the TAM slot or by assigning him as a franchise player. To accommodate Nacho’s potential arrival, there could be adjustments within the team, such as transitioning Leonardo Campana to a TAM slot, alongside former teammates Busquets and Messi, with Luis Suarez potentially taking on a similar role later.

Nevertheless, only Inter Miami can save itself from enduring another disappointing season. Let’s see if they compensate for the loss of Nicolas Freire.