Atlanta United coach says Lionel Messi wouldn't have made a difference for Inter Miami

Atlanta United got a 5-2 victory over Inter Miami. It was the first loss in the Lionel Messi era. Though the Argentine player didn’t make the trip to Georgia, it was a tremendous performance by Gonzalo Pineda’s squad.

It’s important to remember that Inter Miami were on a hot streak after winning the 2023 Leagues Cup and clinching a ticket to the U.S. Open Cup final. A few days ago, without Messi, they got a huge 3-2 victory over Sporting Kansas City.

Even in this scenario, Atlanta United proved they could be a threat in the Eastern Conference and for the entire MLS. At the end of the match, Pineda had a very interesting take about Messi’s absence.

Gonzalo Pineda admits Lionel Messi’s absence didn’t work as extra motivation

After the victory against Inter Miami, Gonzalo Pineda was asked if he used Lionel Messi’s absence as a motivation for his players. The Mexican coach took it a bit further with a surprising answer.

“No (extra motivation). I mean, you never know what could have happened if Messi was on the field. Of course, they would have been probably better, but I think that the mentality of the team was such that I think we could have still gotten a good result with Messi. I feel that way. I was very confident”

Furthermore, Pineda joked about how he got the news of Messi not traveling to Atlanta. He watched Lionel’s Instagram post dining in Miami. “The pizza, the tomatoes and all that.”