Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham took exception to two Minnesota United social media posts after a blowout loss Saturday.
“Pink phony club” was the caption used by Minnesota with a photo of players celebrating the 4-1 win — in which star Lionel Messi scored the only goal for Inter Miami.
“Show a little respect @mnufc be elegant in triumph,” Beckham said in a comment on the post.
In another post, the phrases: “History over hype, culture over cash” were printed on a massive tifo hanging in the Minnesota supporters’ section. The words “hype” and “cash” were printed in a shade of light pink on the navy and light blue banner.
“Respect over everything,” Beckham commented with a pink heart, tagging Minnesota’s social media account.
The loss was the second regular-season match Inter Miami dropped this season. However, it was the fourth defeat in five games across all competitions for Inter Miami, which includes the first three-game losing streak the club has endured since Messi joined the club in July 2023.
And the 14-9 goal differential during this stretch isn’t a positive for first-year Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano, who is a former FC Barcelona teammate of Inter Miami’s core stars Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.
Inter Miami lost 2-0 at Vancouver April 24 in the first leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinal; lost 4-3 at home April 27 to FC Dallas in a regular-season match; lost 3-1 to Vancouver in the second leg April 30; and won 4-1 at home May 3 against the New York Red Bulls before dropping the Minnesota game.
Inter Miami is fourth in MLS’ Eastern Conference with 21 points from six wins, two losses and three draws this season, trailing FC Cincinnati (25), Columbus Crew (25) and the Philadelphia Union (23).
Overall, Inter Miami ranks sixth in MLS – also behind Vancouver (27) and Minnesota (22) – in the Supporters’ Shield standings. The club won the Supporters’ Shield with a record 74 points in 2024 under former coach Tata Martino, who resigned after Inter Miami’s first-round playoff loss to the Atlanta United during the postseason.
Inter Miami arrived in Northern California on Sunday to prepare for the San Jose Earthquakes match Wednesday at 10:30 p.m. ET.
Inter Miami has five regular-season matches remaining in May before they play in the opening match of the FIFA Club World Cup against Al Ahly June 14 in Miami.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: David Beckham tells Minnesota United to show ‘respect’ on social media
