Things got worse for Miami in the second half. German Berterame found a hole in the Miami back line and fired a perfect shot to the top right corner in the 58th minute and eight minutes later, an unmarked Jesus Gallardo made it 3-0 with a header.

Despite the team’s struggles, Martino elected not to make any substitutions.

“All the players we had on the bench were young players, we were not in a situation to use them, I did not want to throw them into adverse conditions, so I felt it was best to finish the game with the players who started,” Martino said after the game.

Alba, clearly frustrated, was slapped with a pair of yellow cards four minutes apart late in the game and Miami had to finish the game with 10 men.

Gomez scored a late consolation goal in the 85th minute after heading home a Messi assist, but nobody celebrated. After the game, Martino and Ortiz did not shake hands.

Inter Miami aimed to prove that it had what it took to compete with Mexican heavyweight Monterrey, and fans had high hopes as Messi returned to the starting lineup. Clearly, Monterrey was the better team and Inter Miami has a lot of work to do.

Leo Campana and Sergiy Kryvtsov missed the game for Inter Miami with injuries. David Ruiz was suspended after a red card in the home leg.

Miami resumes its MLS schedule on the road Saturday at Kansas City and returns home for an April 20 game against Nashville SC.

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