Inter Miami, led by Lionel Messi, concluded the regular MLS season in spectacular fashion. The team managed by Tata Martino triumphed over New England Revolution with a resounding 6-2 victory this Saturday, featuring a hat-trick from Messi, two goals from Luis Suárez, and one from Benjamin Cremaschi, after coming back from a 0-2 deficit. This victory propelled them to a total of 74 pointssetting a new record in U.S. soccer. The previous record of 73 points was held by their opponents in this final match, who succumbed to the dazzling performances of Messi and Suárez. Inter Miami had already secured the top spot in the regular season two games prior but now looks to capture the most coveted title, the MLS Championship, in the playoffs ahead.
For now, finishing first grants them a minor trophy, the Supporters’ Shieldawarded this Saturday, as well as qualification for the Club World Cup taking place next year in the United States. Gianni Infantino, the FIFA president, took advantage of the award ceremony to officially grant Inter Miami the host nation spot. FIFA was keen on Messi’s participation, which has significantly boosted the sport’s popularity in the U.S. Hence, they awarded the spot based on their regular season performance, without waiting for the playoffs’ outcome. Infantino announced that the opening match will be held at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, which has a capacity of 65,000 spectators.
In Saturday’s match, things got complicated very early for the Herons, as Florida’s team is also known. Just over a minute into the game, Argentine Luca Langoni, 22, put the visitors ahead with the first counterattack. Inter pressed hard for the equalizer, but in the 34th minute, Colombian Dylan Borrero fired a weak effort from the right side. Inter’s goalkeeper, Drake Callender, who had been solid throughout the season, attempted to collect the ball, but it slipped gently beneath his legs.
At the 39-minute mark, Luis Suárez showcased his quality by executing a feint at the penalty spot and volleying the ball into the net after initiating the play himself. Less than three minutes later, he scored a stunning goal after receiving the ball unmarked on the right, moving towards goal, cutting inside, and firing a low shot from just outside the area, beating Ivačić again, allowing the teams to head into halftime level.
Messi ignited the crowd’s enthusiasm at the Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, simply by warming up at the start of the second half. The next round of applause came when he took to the pitch in the 57th minute, as fans chanted his name. In his very first touch, just 30 seconds after entering, Inter turned the game around. Messi delivered a perfect pass to Jordi Alba, who assisted Benjamin Cremaschi for the 3-2 lead.
The Argentine superstar still had time to round off the scoreline with a hat-trick. First, in the 78th minute, after receiving a backheel pass from Luis Suárez, he shifted to his left and curled a shot to the right from outside the area with effortless precision. Three minutes later, he found himself in a one-on-one with the goalkeeper following a deep assist from Jordi Alba, reminiscent of his days at Barcelona. Finally, in the 89th minute, he netted a volley almost into an empty net after an acrobatic assist from his Uruguayan partner.
The points record reflects the transformation that the Florida club has undergone since Messi’s arrival last July. Justifying the high expectations, Messi led Inter Miami to win their first title the following month in a dramatic penalty shootout. It was the Leagues Cupa tournament involving all 47 teams from the MLS and Mexico’s Liga MX. However, the league was already in progress, and Inter was last at one point, finishing second to last in the Eastern Conference, missing out on the postseason.
“If you had asked me on January 20, when we played our first preseason match, if we would achieve the points record after being outside the playoffs, it would have seemed like an illogical question, but now we have it within reach,” Martino said this Friday. “What we’re not going to do is make any crazy decisions over this, because ultimately, in six days, we start playing the most important matches, and I have to be very cautious,” he added.
The Inter’s investment, owned by Jorge Mas, his brother Jose, and former footballer David Beckham, did not stop at Messi’s signing. Alongside him came Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, and this season, Luis Suárez, who has not lost his scoring touch, as evidenced in a tournament with lower physical demands. Suárez leads the team in goals with 20 in 27 matches, tying with Messi among the top scorers of the regular season. Messi concludes the regular season with 20 goals and 15 assistsdespite playing only 19 of the 34 matches. With 33 goalshe has become the all-time top scorer in Inter’s history, founded in 2020. Alba has contributed 13 assists and 5 goalswhile Busquets has registered one goal and seven assists. The former Barcelona stars have been instrumental, with the Argentine leading the way.
Finishing first in the regular season grants Inter Miami home advantage in the playoffs. Messi’s first match will be broadcast on a giant screen in Times Square, New York, on October 25. The team will face a yet-to-be-determined opponent in the first round of a best-of-three series (chosen from a playoff match between CF Montreal and Atlanta United, who finished eighth and ninth in the Eastern Conference) with the first game at home, the second away, and a potential tiebreaker in Florida, if necessary.
Subsequently, the conference semifinals, conference finals, and MLS final between the Eastern and Western champions will be single-elimination matches. If Inter progresses through the rounds, they will play all those matches in their home venue, Chase Stadium, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. This same venue would host the final on December 7 should Inter make it that far.
