An Inter Miami team missing the suspended Lionel Messi missed the chance to gain ground on Eastern Conference leaders FC Cincinnati after being held to a 0-0 draw in Major League Soccer on Saturday.

Lionel Messi was left disappointed after he and his Inter Miami teammate Jordi Alba were suspended for skipping Major League Soccer’s (MLS) All-Star Game last Wednesday, and Inter Miami co-owner fears the decision may affect their efforts to keep the World Cup winner at the club beyond this year.

Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber refused to be drawn on whether the league planned to sanction Lionel Messi after the Inter Miami and Argentina superstar was a late withdrawal from Wednesday's All-Star game.

Lionel Messi and Inter Miami team-mate Jordi Alba could face a suspension after withdrawing from Major League Soccer's All-Star game, multiple US media reports said on Wednesday.

Messi increased his total goals in MLS games to 18 this season and has contributed on 27 scores.

Four days after he became the first player ever to score multiple goals in four straight MLS matches, Messi delivered his fifth brace in five MLS games.

The 38-year-old Argentine star has scored two goals in each of his last four MLS games to become the first MLS player to score multiple goals in four straight games.

Miami were playing their first MLS game in more than a month. They had advanced past the first phase of the Club World Cup but fell 4-0 to Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16 last week.

The former France striker told reporters he believed MLS was "underrated" by the rest of the world.

“[We need to] keep going. It's a complicated time,” Messi said in a post-match interview with Apple TV.

The Florida derby defeat leaves Miami with just one win from their last seven games in all competitions and they slip to sixth in the Eastern Conference with Orlando leapfrogging them.

The Argentine scored in the second half but Miami's defence was once again exposed as they fell to a fourth defeat in their last five games in all competitions -- a run which has seen them concede 14 goals.

Miami had lost their last three games, including a 5-1 aggregate defeat to the Vancouver Whitecaps in the Champions Cup semi-finals, but they got a much-needed morale boost with a comfortable Major League Soccer victory.

A dejected-looking Lionel Messi walked off the field in defeat on Wednesday after his Inter Miami team were exposed in emphatic fashion by a young Vancouver Whitecaps.

A crowd of 60,614 turned out at Huntington Bank Field, the home of the NFL's Cleveland Browns, for the visit of Lionel Messi and friends and while the Argentine had a quiet game, Miami left with the points.

A club-record crowd of 62,358 packed into Soldier Field for the visit of Lionel Messi and his Inter team to witness a gutsy display from the home side.

Veteran Haiti international Fafa Picault headed in the winning goal in the 89th minute to give Miami a precious victory that extended their unbeaten start to the season.

Messi provided the assists for both Miami's goals including the leveler which came in the 10th minute of stoppage time.

"Messi has been the type of boost that MLS has needed. The issue for MLS has been attracting stars at the end of their career," said Andrew Zimbalist, a professor at Smith College and co-author of National Pastime: How Americans Play Baseball and the Rest of the World Plays Football.

More than 11 million fans have flocked to Major League Soccer games this season, the league said Monday, breaking the previous record of 10.9 millions fans who attended games in 2024.