Lionel Messi 'Hurting' as Inter Miami faces Defeat, claims Referees don't know Rules in MLS!

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Lionel Messi admitted the pain of Inter Miami's ongoing struggles after their 3-0 defeat to Orlando City on Sunday night, a result that marked their second successive three-goal loss with the Argentine legend in the squad.

Miami's collapse comes at a crucial point in their season. The Herons have now won just three of their last 12 matches across all competitions, with their most damaging losses coming in the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals against Vancouver Whitecaps. Once seen as Club World Cup hopefuls after a bright start under new coach Javier Mascherano, Miami are now battling form and confidence issues.

And after the humiliating defeat, Messi came out and spoke about the match, saying he was hurting after the series of poor results.

"The truth is, yeah, it hurts to lose one more game. We're coming off a period of poor results but we have to keep working and think about what's ahead of us," Messi said to MLS after the conclusion.

Messi also vented frustration over what he viewed as questionable refereeing. The former Barcelona player was not happy with the officials and even went on to advise MLS about their recruitments.

"There was a rare play where one of their players passed the ball back to the goalkeeper, and the referee said that, he himself told me, he didn't know the rule... There are times where specific mistakes, like in the last game - you see, these aren't excuses. But something always happens with the referees and specific plays. I believe MLS needs to look more into the referees they call up," the Argentine added, as quoted by The Athletic.

Despite the downward spiral, Messi remains hopeful for his club. They will also be participating in the upcoming Club World Cup, which starts from June 14.

"Now we'll know if we're really a team in these difficult moments. We have to be more united than ever, be a true team and get through it," he concluded.

With Miami sliding to sixth in the Eastern Conference, their next test is away at conference leaders Philadelphia Union, a fixture that could define their season.