Lionel Messi: Mascherano backs captain after Charlotte vs Inter Miami panenka penalty miss
Lionel Messi had a penalty saved as Miami lost at Charlotte
Inter Miami manager Javier Mascherano has warned his players to stop becoming “disorganized” when they fall behind after Charlotte condemned the Herons to a second successive 3-0 defeat on the road.
Forward Idan Toklomati scored a hat-trick after Lionel Messi’s panenka penalty was saved by Kristijan Kahlina in the MLS, leaving Miami eighth before they host the Seattle Sounders, who beat them 3-0 in the Leagues Cup final earlier this month.
“If there’s anyone who has helped us win throughout the season, it’s been Leo,” Mascherano said.
“Beyond that, especially during the first 20 to 25 minutes, we controlled the game and had situations here and there.”
No luck on the panenka.
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) September 14, 2025
Kristijan Kahlina stands his ground! 😳
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Lionel Messi penalty record
Captain Messi missed out on a 19th MLS goal of the season, having stepped up in the 31st minute because penalty taker Luis Suarez was suspended.
The 38-year-old has missed 32 of his 145 career spot kicks, according to Transfermarkt, although he had scored his last six since a miss against Poland in November 2022 at the 2021/22 World Cup.
Messi has one more league goal this season than LAFC’s Denis Bouanga but is second to Nashville’s Sam Surridge, on 21.
Charlotte vs Inter Miami: Mascherano ‘worries’
Top spot in the Eastern Conference remains in Miami’s hands because they are 11 points behind leaders Philadelphia with four matches in hand, but Mascherano is concerned by their reponse to 21-year-old Toklomati’s 34th-minute opener.
The Israel international scored his second two minutes after half-time and completed his treble three minutes from time.
“Their first goal, especially, didn’t do any damage,” argued Mascherano. “After five or 10 minutes of going through that, we regained control.
“The second goal was the one that ended up doing us a lot of damage. That’s the reality. We clearly have to improve our understanding that the game lasts 90 minutes and even though the opponents can score against us, there’s enough time to turn it around and not go crazy.
“That’s what worries me most, right? Many times, we end up getting disorganized too early and that means giving our opponents opportunities.
“It’s something I’m responsible for, that I clearly have to work much more on – to understand that… until the last minute, a goal down, you can turn things around. Especially in this league, where we see that a lot.”
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Inter Miami vs Seattle Sounders
The Sounders, who are fourth in the Western Conference, will seek revenge on Tuesday (19:30 ET / 16:30 PT / 00:30 on Wednesday BST).
“It wasn’t the night we wanted and we have to try to recover quickly,” said Mascherano. “On Tuesday, we have a very tough game against opponents we know and played recently.
“It’s good that we can get out of this situation by working and, above all, winning.”