Monterrey stuns Inter Miami with late Rossi winner in Leagues Cup

Diego Rossi struck in the 90th minute to lift Monterrey to a 2-1 victory over Inter Miami at Nu Stadium in Miami, a result that exposed how much the tournament favorite still leans on Lionel Messi. The Leagues Cup match, played Aug. 8, turned on Monterrey’s composure in the closing minutes and Miami’s inability to fully replace its biggest star.

Inter Miami said Messi was sidelined with a minor muscle injury after medical tests were done to evaluate discomfort he felt in the previous Leagues Cup match against Necaxa. Messi did not play against Monterrey, and the absence left Inter Miami relying on other creators in a high-pressure setting where depth mattered as much as headline power. Messi had also missed a match at Chicago because of a scar tissue ailment, another reminder of how often Miami has had to adjust its shape without him.

Rodrigo De Paul scored Inter Miami’s goal, while Hugo Cuypers delivered Monterrey’s first-half equalizer before Rossi settled the match late. The sequence gave Monterrey a road win over one of the most closely watched clubs in North American soccer and underlined how quickly a game can tilt when a star-heavy lineup is forced to function without its centerpiece.

That matters in the Leagues Cup, where Major League Soccer and Liga MX clubs meet in a competition built to measure more than reputation. Monterrey’s win was not just a result on the board. It was a clear demonstration of roster construction, discipline and tactical readiness against a club that attracts extraordinary attention in the United States and abroad.

Inter Miami’s second Phase One match ended in a 2-1 defeat, and the scoreline reflected a deeper issue than one missing player. When Messi is unavailable, opponents can press the rest of Miami’s attack, crowd the space around De Paul and test whether the roster can sustain pressure for 90 minutes. Monterrey answered that challenge with a late winner, and the match showed how serious continental competition can strip away the comfort of celebrity and leave only the margins that decide whether a squad is built to last.