Miami and San Jose went blow-for-blow in a six-goal thriller, but Messi's frustrations were on full display

Lionel Messi made headlines with his decision to travel and play in Inter Miami's midweek match against the San Jose Earthquakes – his first playing appearance in the Bay Area since 2009. Odds are, the Argentine legend might have preferred to stay back East, as s were forced to settle for a wild 3-3 draw with the hosts.

Miami avoided defeat, but the club has now gone winless in five of its last six matches and was arguably fortunate to escape with a point. San Jose dominated stretches of the game, particularly in midfield.

Javier Mascherano’s side got off to a dream start, with Maxi Falcon scoring just 30 seconds into the match. It seemed an early statement of intent, but Miami’s defensive frailties were exposed almost immediately. Cristian Arango pounced on a quick counterattack, taking advantage of some passive defending to level the score.

From there, it was a track meet – thrilling for neutral fans, but nerve-wracking for both coaches. Neither side could instill much on defense, resulting in a wide-open match. Tadeo Allende delivered a stunning brace for Miami, while Beau Leroux and Ian Harkes rounded out the scoring for the Earthquakes.

If there was a visual indicator of Inter Miami’s current frustration, it came in the dying moments of stoppage time – from Messi himself. After finishing off a brilliant move, the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner appeared to be fouled in what many consider his sweet spot for free kicks. As he got up expecting a whistle, the play was instead called back for offside.

Messi, clearly furious, stormed toward the officiating crew, shouting his protest as players and staff from both teams – including San Jose coach Bruce Arena – tried to restrain him. At one point, a referee could be heard asking, “Do you want to be sent off?”

Things need to change – and quickly – or it could get worse for Mascherano and Inter Miami.

GOAL rates Inter Miami's players from PayPal Park.

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Oscar Ustari (3/10):

Sloppy on several passes, which left Miami's already leaky backline vulnerable. Was caught ball-watching on two of San Jose's three goals. This team misses last year's starter, Drake Callender, who is recovering from a recent surgery.

Jordi Alba (7/10):

Was part of the problem defensively, but not the worst culprit, and made up for his lack of pace in marking San Jose by delivering two majestic assists in the first.

Noah Allen (5/10):

Made an impact, with a team-high six clearances, but he was also culpable in Miami conceding three goals in the first half.

Maximiliano Falcon (6/10):

Scored within the first minute to give the Herons hope, but also saw his team concede about 30 seconds later.

Marcelo Weigandt (5/10):

After a solid start to the season, Weigandt has reverted back to being the mistake-prone fullback he was last year. He was unable to read the Earthquakes on attack and was one of the Inter Miami players caught ball watching on the first goal conceded. Rightly subbed off at the 69th minute.

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Telasco Segovia (5/10):

Was a passenger in the first half, but showed some positive flashes in the final 45 minutes. Still hasn't recaptured early-season form and doesn't look anywhere close to the man he was signed to replace in Diego Gómez.

Benjamin Cremaschi (4/10):

Got a rare start, but in a wide spot that doesn't suit the central midfielder. Offered pace but was lost defensively and wasn't much better in attack, connecting on just 68.8 percent of his passes. Was subbed off at halftime to add a winger in Baltasar Rodríguez. The rising young USMNT player has every right to be aggravated with Mascherano's odd lineup decision there.

Yannick Bright (6/10):

He has been one of Miami's best players over the past two years, but he appears lost in the club's current slide, and it was more of the same Wednesday. While he would finish with three tackles due to a stronger second half, he couldn't make an impact to slow down San Jose's attack in the opening 45 minutes.

Sergio Busquets (5/10):

Arena wisely kept San Jose running at full speed throughout the match and the 36-year-old Busquets looked out of sorts. He wasn't his normal accurate self in passing, connecting at 84.6 percent, and struggled to stay in front of San Jose's midfield on defense.

Attack

Tadeo Allende (9/10):

Mascherano has gotten a lot of tactical decisions wrong during the Herons' recent struggles, but this was a masterstroke. The former Celta Vigo winger lined up as a striker, and he was clearly the best player on the pitch. Assassin-like in front of goal and arguably was the only player outside of Messi and Alba who created clear opportunities going forward for Inter Miami. Man of the Match.

Lionel Messi (6/10):

Did get an assist, but overall struggled to keep up in a high-tempo match. Looked fatigued at times and missed a late chance that Messi in his prime would have converted with ease. There were occasional moments of magic from the Argentine, but none of it was particularly impactful – aside from one unbelievable dribble at the end that was only stopped by an offside call on another Miami player.

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Baltasar Rodríguez (6/10):

Came on to provide some much-needed width and did just that, finding Allende in the 52nd minute to level the contest. Forced off due to injury after just 17 minutes, ending what had been a promising debut for the Argentine.

Allen Obando (5/10):

Likely doesn't play if Rodriguez's appearance wasn't so short, and largely brought on as he was the only striker left off the bench. Tough to criticize an 18-year-old, but he ran cardio at PayPal Park.

Gonzalo Luján (6/10):

Largely solid in his 20-plus minutes of action, which begs the question of why Weigandt is starting over him?

David Martinez (N/A):

Brought on in the final 10 minutes to help Miami secure a draw.

Federico Redondo (N/A):

Was used for fresh legs late. Didn't make much of an impact

Javier Mascherano (4/10):

This was a tale of two halves from Miami, with the side looking out of sorts on defense in the first 45 minutes and more structured in the second half. Mascherano is ultimately the man who chooses the starting XI and the tactics, and he got both wrong at the start. Cremaschi isn't a winger and Weigandt has been directly responsible for several of Miami's defensive mistakes over the past few weeks. This score would be different if it weren't for his call to start Allende.