HARRISON, N.J. — Lionel Messi sat out the Inter Miami game against the New York Red Bulls on Saturday, as expected. His teammates who did show up might have been better off staying home, too. They seemed listless, uninspired, and disorganized, and they paid the price.

The men in pink were routed, 4-0, on a frigid, rainy afternoon.

The thermostat read 49 degrees at Red Bull Arena, a steady downpour never let up the entire game, and Inter Miami’s cold, sloppy performance reflected the weather conditions.

Lewis Morgan, the speedy, Scottish former Inter Miami winger, punished his former team with a hat trick. He scored in the third minute, 51st minute and 70th minute.

As a sign of respect for his former teammates, Morgan restrained himself to a very muted celebration after the first goal. But he allowed himself to celebrate a bit after the second and had a huge smile on his face when his teammates engulfed him to honor his hat trick.

Morgan was also instrumental in the Red Bulls’ other goal, a 66th minute shot by Venezuelan Wiki Carmona. The ball looked like it was about to dribble out of bounds along the left sideline when Morgan, showing the engine and fight that had made him a Miami fan favorite, sprinted over, slid, and kept it in play. He passed to Dante Venzeir, who then then found Carmona at close range.

The crowd, in winter coats and rain ponchos, chanted: “Lewis Morgan! Lewis Morgan”

“There is nothing to say except that they were the better team from start to finish; our team looked like a team that not only had no desire to win, but no desire to compete,” said a dejected coach Tata Martino. “It even makes one question how far we want to go, especially when we can look so different from one week to the next. We all have to take responsibility, mainly me as the coach.

“But there was nothing previously, not even in our loss to Montreal at home a few weeks ago, that led us to believe we would a performance like we had (Saturday).

“The Red Bulls had a desire to win. We did not even have a desire to compete. We had trouble with all facets of the game, defending, attacking, controlling the ball, coming out of the back, many problems.”

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