Lionel Messi watched helplessly as his Inter Miami team was thoroughly dismantled by Paris Saint-Germain in a crushing 4-0 defeat that eliminated the last Major League Soccer club from the FIFA Club World Cup. Sunday's match at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta quickly turned into a nightmare for the MLS Supporters' Shield winners, with the outcome essentially decided by halftime.
"We knew this was going to be a difficult task," Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano admitted to DAZN after the game. "We tried our hardest but they are one of the best teams in the world."
PSG wasted no time asserting their dominance, with João Neves striking twice (6' and 39'), before Tomás Avilés added to Miami's misery with an own goal in the 44th minute. Achraf Hakimi delivered the final blow just before the halftime whistle, making it 4-0 in stoppage time.
The statistical breakdown shows just how one-sided this contest was. The Champions League winners completed a staggering 621 passes compared to Miami's 253, while maintaining 68% possession by the final whistle. Even more telling was the expected goals (xG) – PSG scored their four goals from an xG of just 2.42, while Miami managed a paltry 0.26.
"We were great in the first half," PSG manager Luis Enrique told DAZN. "The second half, we controlled the match and never allowed a goal."
Interestingly, other MLS representatives in the tournament put up more resistance than Messi's squad. The Seattle Sounders, for instance, showed considerably more competitive spirit in their Club World Cup appearance than the star-studded Miami side managed on Sunday.
This defeat highlights a persistent issue with roster construction in MLS. Miami, like many league teams, is notably top-heavy in terms of talent and financial investment. Against PSG, their attack and midfield players had a combined market value of €30.8m (averaging €5.13m per player), while their defensive unit and goalkeeper were valued at just €6.6m (€1.32m average).
Of course, Messi alone accounts for €18m of that offensive value, but the imbalance is clear. This lopsided approach to team building was brutally exposed by PSG, who cut through Miami's defense at will during that devastating first half.
It's worth noting that this wasn't an isolated incident. The Herons have shown similar defensive fragility in other competitions, including their collapse against Vancouver Whitecaps in the Concacaf Champions League when they conceded three unanswered goals.
For MLS as a whole, this tournament offered both encouragement and a reality check. The gap between North American clubs and Europe's elite isn't always insurmountable, but matches like this demonstrate that a more balanced approach to roster building might be necessary to truly compete at the highest level. Will Miami and other MLS clubs learn from this painful lesson?
