NEW YORK – There were reasons for New York City FC to be optimistic as they hit the pitch at Citi Field, where a soccer pitch was jammed inside a baseball diamond on Wednesday as they welcomed Inter Miami. NYCFC entered the match in fourth place and had five wins in their last six, rising up the table at just the right time with the MLS Cup playoffs within sight. They played a fairly even first half, too, against a Miami team who were under pressure to make their three games in hand count, nor were the hosts out of the game as they entered the final stages of the match a goal down.

What a difference, though, 13 minutes can make.

Inter Miami went from a 1-0 lead in the 73rd minute to a 4-0 lead by the 86th, NYCFC's defense collapsing in impressive fashion. There was a sense of inevitability as Lionel Messi's magic was on full display for a sellout crowd in Queens, the World Cup winner scoring twice in that 13 minute stretch and giving them the exact thing the attendees came to see. Messi's first goal saw Sergio Busquets play a stellar ball through traffic before...