Miami, without Leo Messi, lose U.S. Open Cup final to Houston

Without Messi and his former Barcelona team-mate Jordi Alba, Miami struggled to compete with an enterprising Houston and could have little to complain about the outcome. Miami co-owner David Beckham, who watched the game with his former Real Madrid team-mate Zinedine Zidane, had hoped for another night of celebration after the team's Leagues Cup triumph last month.

But Miami lacked intensity and ideas as they were given the runaround by Ben Olsen's impressive Houston team. No clear explanation has been given for Messi's injury with references to "muscle fatigue".

"It was not prudent for him to play, we couldn't even consider playing him for a few minutes because we would be taking risks," said Martino after the match. The former Barcelona and Argentina coach said he expected Messi to feature at some stage in the upcoming five games that remain for Miami in the MLS regular season.