Inter Miami felt like a Lionel Messi team, just not the ones you remember most fondly. Instead, they were redolent of those last few years at Barcelona when he was carrying too heavy an offensive load, the weird PSG sojourn where all the attacking talent was on his side but the other team were playing as a unit.

Gianni Infantino took centre stage from Lionel Messi and his celebrating Inter Miami team-mates last October to make the surprise announcement that he had adjusted the Club World Cup qualification to accommodate the MLS franchise in its group stage.