Inter Miami played FC Cincinnati to a 0-0 draw without the suspended Lionel Messi on Saturday night. Messi was not available after he and teammate Jordi Alba were suspended one match by Major League Soccer for skipping the All-Star game. Messi was still in attendance on Saturday, watching from a suite at Chase Stadium.

An Inter Miami team missing the suspended Lionel Messi missed the chance to gain ground on Eastern Conference leaders FC Cincinnati after being held to a 0-0 draw in Major League Soccer on Saturday. That meant Messi and Alba could only watch on from the sidelines in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday as Inter were frustrated by a well-organised Cincinnati team.

The owner of Inter Miami called Major League Soccer’s suspension of Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba for skipping the All-Star Game a “draconian” punishment. “They don’t understand the decision,” owner Jorge Mas said Friday of the one-game suspensions.