{"id":1035,"date":"2026-05-18T18:36:24","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T18:36:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1035"},"modified":"2026-05-18T18:36:24","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T18:36:24","slug":"dave-hyde-a-petty-spat-between-messi-fans-spoils-inter-miamis-win","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1035","title":{"rendered":"Dave Hyde: A petty spat between Messi, fans spoils Inter Miami\u2019s win"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

Do Inter Miami\u2019s fans really need more from Lionel Messi than the kind of dazzling performance Sunday that could have many sit around years from now saying, \u201cYeah, I still remember what he did in that meaningless Portland game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more State softball: Father-daughter coaches have special bond at Cornerstone<\/a><\/p>\n

He scored a signature goal. He delivered a rub-your-eyes assist. But did he need to give a traditional soccer wave to acknowledge fans?<\/p>\n

Or perhaps one of those customary, overhand claps walking off the field that soccer players are expected to do at game\u2019s end?<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t some hypothetical or binary, take-Messi-or-the-fans-side question. It\u2019s a so-silly, too-petty, only-in-soccer controversy that erupted at Nu Stadium during Inter Miami\u2019s 2-0 win between the planet\u2019s biggest athlete and the team\u2019s most passionate fans.<\/p>\n

Inter Miami has the best show in MLS history and it\u2019s not enough for its most passionate fans. They stood at one end of the stadium where they usually make forever noise and gave Messi and Inter Miami the silent treatment Sunday.<\/p>\n

No drums. No flag waving. No cheers or trademark chants until the final minutes when they turned a common Spanish chant into something that angrily demanded the players acknowledge their presence.<\/p>\n

Messi, hearing it, walked toward them and gave a hand gesture that appeared to express his displeasure with the fans. He and a few other players then acknowledged the three other sides of the stadium with those so-coveted waves as the game ended, but ignored the side of these passionate fans that call themselves La Familia.<\/p>\n

Can someone step in here? Help both sides? Say how petty it comes across \u2014 and to just enjoy these good times for everyone while they last?<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

La Familia is upset Messi and other players ignored them in the previous three games at the new, Nu Stadium. Inter Miami didn\u2019t win any of them. So maybe the players forgot the customary wave to fans after a disappointing game on their minds while leaving the field?<\/p>\n

What if instead of berating Messi with a chant at game\u2019s end, they instead chanted something lighter-hearted like, \u201cHello, Lionel! We\u2019re over here!\u201d Instead, they were angry.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t just fans who missed the target. Messi, made aware of the fans\u2019 frustration, could have walked down the field at game\u2019s end and delivered a big, beautiful, two-handed wave. Turned something bad into something good. Instead, that petulant hand signal to them.<\/p>\n

Messi, of course, can do whatever he wants. That\u2019s part of his deal signing here. He\u2019s Messi. He\u2019s bigger than the team, bigger than the league and all the sellout crowds coming to watch him really come for what he provided midway through the first half Sunday.<\/p>\n

Read more If you\u2019re renewing your Florida driver\u2019s license, make sure you do this<\/a><\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

A quick dart to open space in front of the net.<\/p>\n

A laser shot into the corner of the net.<\/p>\n

That was his 12th goal, good for second in the league. He then added his sixth assist with catch-me-if-you can moves with the ball followed by a thread-the-defense pass that resulted in Miami\u2019s second goal.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve got to be kidding me,\u2019\u2019 Apple TV analyst Taylor Twellman said after that assist, followed quickly as the replay ran on Apple TV by, \u201cOh my goodness! Oh my goodness!\u201d<\/p>\n

Throw in another half-dozen moments from a near goal in the opening minutes to another off a direct kick at the end and this is what Messi delivers every game. He also brings no personality off it. He hasn\u2019t offered a glimpse of who he is or his thoughts on, well, anything. He hasn\u2019t given a local media interview in more than three years.<\/p>\n

Does it matter? Not in many ways. If conquering more than American soccer matters to him, giving something of himself is part of the transaction. But he\u2019s winning enough, he\u2019s decided. His world doesn\u2019t need ESPN to do more than give a five-second clip of a goal.<\/p>\n

When Inter Miami won the MLS championship last season only the coach, Javier Mascherano, spoke in the post-game press conference and, through that, to the fans. Much of this is an extension of the soccer culture, not the American sports culture.<\/p>\n

The Messi Rule is Messi rules. You\u2019d cut that if you were Inter Miami, too. He makes $28.3 million from a deal with Inter Miami \u2014 more than 28 of the teams\u2019 payrolls. Inter Miami has revenue around $300 million. It works for Messi, too, as his league-sponsored deals put his annual salary at around a reported $80 million.<\/p>\n

\u201cInter Miami over the last three and a half years have taken the whole MLS to another level, and every single person involved, on and off the pitch, should be incredibly excited because what that\u2019s done is raise the bar and everybody else has to catch up,\u2019\u2019 said Portland coach Phil Neville, who previously coached Inter Miami.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s created rivalries. Owners are now competing, which is great, billionaires all wanting to be on top of the tree, spending more money and that only helps the league.\u201d<\/p>\n

Amid all this impact by Messi, on a night he was magical in a win, this should\u2019ve been part of the highest times for Inter Miami and its fans. They should enjoy it. It\u2019s petty for fans to pout he hadn\u2019t waved to them. It didn\u2019t look good that he didn\u2019t detonate the scene with a quick wave, too.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a thought: He walks out before the next game, gives these fans a welcome salute and ends all this pettiness.<\/p>\n

\n

La barra de Inter Miami empez\u00f3 con el grito de Jugadores y Messi no estaba contento.<\/p>\n

Read more Letters: DeSantis is divider, not unifier | Senior-living crisis<\/a><\/p>\n

El capit\u00e1n le reclam\u00f3 a la grada.#InterMiamiCF #Messi pic.twitter.com\/kbjqhY0IeW<\/p>\n

\u2014 Jos\u00e9 Armando (@Jarm21) May 18, 2026<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It wasn’t just fans who missed the target. Messi, made aware of the fans\u2019 frustration, could have walked down the field at game\u2019s end and delivered a big, beautiful, two-handed wave.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1034,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[62,37,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1035","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-inter-miami","category-soccer","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\nDave Hyde: A petty spat between Messi, fans spoils Inter Miami\u2019s win - Orlando Relocation Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1035\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Dave Hyde: A petty spat between Messi, fans spoils Inter Miami\u2019s win - Orlando Relocation Report\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It wasn't just fans who missed the target. Messi, made aware of the fans\u2019 frustration, could have walked down the field at game\u2019s end and delivered a big, beautiful, two-handed wave.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1035\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Orlando Relocation Report\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-18T18:36:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=1035#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=1035\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/47d95744296542489ff5c4bd403450f8\"},\"headline\":\"Dave Hyde: A petty spat between Messi, fans spoils Inter Miami\u2019s win\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-18T18:36:24+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=1035\"},\"wordCount\":1015,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=1035#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/9da278f6d0c48c3623871978474743f0.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Inter Miami\",\"Soccer\",\"Sports\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=1035#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=1035\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=1035\",\"name\":\"Dave Hyde: A petty spat between Messi, fans spoils Inter Miami\u2019s win - Orlando Relocation Report\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=1035#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=1035#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/9da278f6d0c48c3623871978474743f0.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-18T18:36:24+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/47d95744296542489ff5c4bd403450f8\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=1035#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=1035\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=1035#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/9da278f6d0c48c3623871978474743f0.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/9da278f6d0c48c3623871978474743f0.webp\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":682},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=1035#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Dave Hyde: A petty spat between Messi, fans spoils Inter Miami\u2019s win\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Orlando Relocation Report\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/47d95744296542489ff5c4bd403450f8\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Dave Hyde: A petty spat between Messi, fans spoils Inter Miami\u2019s win - Orlando Relocation Report","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1035","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Dave Hyde: A petty spat between Messi, fans spoils Inter Miami\u2019s win - Orlando Relocation Report","og_description":"It wasn't just fans who missed the target. Messi, made aware of the fans\u2019 frustration, could have walked down the field at game\u2019s end and delivered a big, beautiful, two-handed wave.","og_url":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1035","og_site_name":"Orlando Relocation Report","article_published_time":"2026-05-18T18:36:24+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1035#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1035"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/#\/schema\/person\/47d95744296542489ff5c4bd403450f8"},"headline":"Dave Hyde: A petty spat between Messi, fans spoils Inter Miami\u2019s win","datePublished":"2026-05-18T18:36:24+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1035"},"wordCount":1015,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1035#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/9da278f6d0c48c3623871978474743f0.webp","articleSection":["Inter Miami","Soccer","Sports"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1035#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1035","url":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1035","name":"Dave Hyde: A petty spat between Messi, fans spoils Inter Miami\u2019s win - Orlando Relocation Report","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1035#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1035#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/9da278f6d0c48c3623871978474743f0.webp","datePublished":"2026-05-18T18:36:24+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/#\/schema\/person\/47d95744296542489ff5c4bd403450f8"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1035#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1035"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1035#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/9da278f6d0c48c3623871978474743f0.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/9da278f6d0c48c3623871978474743f0.webp","width":1024,"height":682},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1035#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Dave Hyde: A petty spat between Messi, fans spoils Inter Miami\u2019s win"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/","name":"Orlando Relocation Report","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/#\/schema\/person\/47d95744296542489ff5c4bd403450f8","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com"],"url":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1035","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1035"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1035\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1034"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1035"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1035"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1035"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}