Fort Lauderdale, Fla. - Miami International captain Lionel Messi urged the team to stay strong and stay unified Sunday night at Chase Stadium to lose 3-0 to Orlando City in state.

The result has resulted in Miami losing five of its last seven games, with 20 goals in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League semi-finals against Vancouver Whitecaps on April 24.

"(We need to) keep going. It's a complicated moment," Messi told Apple TV after the game. "But we all are united. We are a team in tough times because when everyone wins, it's easy, but now the tough times are coming, and that's when we have to be more united than ever, be a real team and move forward because we have everything we need.

“Think about the next step and prepare for the next game.”

The team won the last May 3 victory, defeating New York Red Bull 4-1, before suffering two losses and a draw. Miami ranks sixth in the MLS Eastern Conference rankings.

"We have achieved bad results," Messi added. "But we have to keep working and think about the next step. With three to four games left in May, we (we have to) finish the best way to be able to face the club's World Cup."

Head coach Javier Mascherano reiterated the captain’s message at a post-match press conference, emphasizing that this is not the time for players to start pointing out numbers.

"When you're in this dynamic state, if each of us starts pulling ourselves aside, it's impossible to overcome," Mascherano said. "It's obvious that we have to overcome it all together because obviously this team has shown, especially early in the season, their abilities.

"Now, I take full responsibility. I won't point out any players publicly, I'm not like that. No one comes into the court to try to spend bad times or suffering players. Every player tries to do his best through virtues and mistakes, and now we have to try to get the best forward from these players."

Mascherano added that the team tried to take a risk tonight to offset the city's advantage, but it ended up causing several failures.

The Miami coach said before the game that he expressed optimism about the future of Messi's potential extension of his contract, which will expire at the end of the season.

Inter Miami will now shift the focus to Saturday's game against the Philadelphia League at Subaru Park.