Lionel Messi has Inter Miami on the up, but transfer strategy shows they're not ready for Champions Cup

The thumping at Monterrey brings questions for both MLS and the club

When Inter Miami signed Lionel Messi last summer, the goal was not only to dominate Major League Soccer but also to announce themselves on a global scale. While they've done that from a commercial standpoint, Wednesday's loss to Monterrey in the Concacaf Champions Cup shows just how far the soccer side of things has to go. You can blame MLS roster constraints for Miami's lack of depth in comparison to Monterrey's balance, but roster rules didn't force Miami to spend all of their money on stars leaving the bench filled with homegrown players without much match experience for arguably the most important match in their history.

Roster constraints also didn't stop Tata Martino from making a single substitutiocn in that same match despite having Benjamin Cremaschi back available and Leo Alfonso coming off of scoring his first goal for the team just five days prior. You need to look no further than Wilfried Nancy's Columbus Crew for how to transcend the roster constraints while competing with Liga MX sides that have deeper pockets.

These past few weeks have shown that a team approach is more important than starts. Nancy benched Cucho Hernandez in the first leg against Tigres for a violation of team policy. The Crew went on to draw the match before going into Mexico on his return and winning a penalty shootout behind two saves from Patrick Schulte. With the contribution of players groomed in MLS Next Pro combined with spending for stars who fit the system, the Crew are a hallmark of how sustainable success in this league can be built, taking a page from the Seattle Sounders who remain the only MLS side to win Concacaf Champions Cup.