Inter Miami, without Messi, turns in listless first half in Open Cup loss to Houston

Three Up, Three Down: Inter Miami flops without Messi, loses Open Cup final 2-1 against the Houston Dynamo.

Playing in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup championship without Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba, the Herons turned in a lackluster first half, playing as poorly as we’ve seen. Still, we’re committed to choose three Inter Miami players who most impacted the match, and three who didn’t. Here we go!

Inter Miami CF forward Leonardo Campana battles for a header against Houston Dynamo midfielder Griffin Dorsey. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

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Josef Martinez, B

[KEN] The Venezuelan has frustrated me more often than not this season, but he came on as a half-time substitution for Robert Taylor last night and changed Inter Miami’s attack. El Rey made clever runs into and through the box, finally getting a perfectly weighted pass from Facundo Farias that Martinez propelled into the back of the net. It wasn’t enough for the clumsy and careless Herons, but it was a spark in a dark outing.

[MATT] Ok. I know I've been pretty critical of Martinez since you-know-who arrived. The expectation was that Martinez, Messi and whoever else, would create this massive attacking opportunity for Inter Miami. The problem is... everyone else BUT Martinez has helped in the endeavor. However, against Houston, Martinez wasn't SO bad, so getting a higher grade here works.