Just before Lionel Messi departed for Copa America, Inter Miami boss Tata Martino was asked how his side would fare without their talisman. "If these players find themselves in form, with confidence, secure, and understand the challenges of the five games after St. Louis, it's clear that we'll be able to survive Copa America," he said in response.
The answer was hardly shimmering with confidence, though that was perhaps to be expected. It's said that no player can be bigger than any club, but in Messi's case, this statement is stretched right to the boundaries of reality.
On and off the pitch, the legendary figure is Inter Miami, so it's only natural that the Herons approached his extended absence with trepidation - even if they had managed to pick up some results without him last season.
This time around felt a little different, though. Not only were the stakes higher, with Inter Miami sitting atop MLS' Eastern Conference and in pole position to win the Supporters' Shield, Messi has also managed to surpass his maiden season performances in the early part of the current campaign.