The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner did not participate in warmups and watched the first half from coach Tata Martino's bench along with midfielder Sergio Busquets, forward Josef Martinez and U.S. national team defender DeAndre Yedlin
Miami led 1-0 on a 37th-minute goal by Diego Gómez, among four Miami starters making MLS debuts. Messi's Barcelona teammate Sergio Busquets also made his debut in the 60th minute.
Miami entered with an 11-game MLS winless streak that included eight defeats and had just one road victory this season. Miami's 22 points were the fewest among the league's 29 teams.
Messi, who joined MLS from Paris Saint-Germain, played his first Miami game on July 21 in the Leagues Cup and scored 10 goals in seven games in that competition and a U.S. Open Cup semifinal.
Chants of 'We Want Messi' began in the sixth minute and a loud 'Mes-si!, Mes-si!' reverberated throughout in the 35th as the 36-year-old sat on the bench.
(With AP inputs)
ADVERTISEMENT
