The 38-year-old Argentine star — and captain of the MLS Cup champions — has become the first back-to-back MVP in MLS history, getting announced Tuesday as this year’s winner of the league’s top individual honor.

It’s another first for Messi in what seems like a never-ending list of his career accomplishments and was widely expected, almost assumed after he had a league-best 29 goals along with 19 assists during the regular season.

He also becomes just the second two-time MVP the league has ever seen, joining Preki, the winner of the award in 1997 and 2003. The other winners are all one-time MVP recipients.

“He was fantastic the whole season, with the numbers and also with the commitment,” Inter Miami coach and longtime Messi teammate Javier Mascherano said.

Messi played in barely half of Inter Miami’s regular-season games in 2024, and that sparked some doubt as to whether he deserved to win the MVP award.

He won a close vote last year. This year, there was no debate.

Messi got 70.4% of the total vote — the biggest winning total since Toronto’s Sebastian Giovinco in 2015. San Diego’s Anders Dreyer was second with 11.2%, followed by LAFC’s Denis Bouanga (7.3%), Cincinnati’s Evander (4.8%) and Nashville’s Sam Surridge (2.4%).

“I think he’s the unicorn of unicorns,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said of Messi while attending an Inter Miami match earlier in this season’s playoffs. “You know, there’s something about the way he’s wired. He’s thinking about the game like nobody else ever has. His intensity and desire to win is what makes him the greatest of all time. There are a lot of really competitive players, but he has this special sauce, this dynamic that has him so focused on doing what he needs to do to win games.”

This award joins dozens of other individual honors in Messi’s career, including eight Ballon d’Or titles, eight Pichichi trophies as La Liga’s top scorer, six La Liga best player nods, three Best FIFA Men’s Player awards, three UEFA Men’s Player of the Year wins, two FIFA World Cup Golden Balls and no fewer than 15 selections as Argentina’s best player in a given year. He’s also been part of winning 47 trophies for club and country — including the 2022 World Cup — making him the most decorated player the men’s game has ever seen.

“The reality,” Mascherano said as the regular season was ending, “is that Leo clears all doubts.”

Messi becomes the sixth player in MLS history to win MVP and a championship in the same season. Of the previous five, only Atlanta United’s Josef Martinez in 2018 won MVP, a title and the Golden Boot as the league’s scoring champion all in the same year, another hat trick of sorts that Messi achieved in 2025.

Indeed, there has been no one like him — in MLS for certain, and quite possibly anywhere.

Forget winning back-to-back MVPs. There have been only four players in MLS history — Carlos Valderrama in 1996 and 1997, Marco Etcheverry in 1998 and 1999, David Villa in 2016 and 2017, and Martinez in 2018 and 2019 — to win the award one year and then even be a finalist for MVP in the following season.

And Messi isn’t planning on leaving Miami anytime soon. He’s signed a three-year extension, meaning he’ll be there when Inter Miami — a franchise that has seen its value explode since his arrival 2½ years ago — opens its new stadium near Miami International Airport next season.

“When Lionel Messi made MLS his league of choice, it marked a turning point — not just for Inter Miami, but for our entire sport in North America,” Garber said when the contract was announced. “Since then, we’ve witnessed something truly historic: the greatest player of all time bringing global attention to our league. We’re thrilled that Leo has chosen to stay and continue his career with Inter Miami.”

The phenomenon of having a back-to-back MVP has occurred in each of the other major U.S. pro sports leagues in the past plenty of times, with the most recent instance of each happening fairly recently.

In Major League Baseball, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani and the New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge have won the National League and American League MVP awards, respectively, in each of the last two seasons; Ohtani won the AL MVP award with the Los Angeles Angels in 2023 as well.

A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces has won the WNBA’s MVP award in each of the last two years. Denver’s Nikola Jokic was the most recent NBA player to win MVP back-to-back, doing so in 2021 and 2022. Aaron Rodgers — then of Green Bay — won two straight NFL MVP awards in 2020 and 2021, and Washington’s Alex Ovechkin won the NHL’s Hart Trophy in 2008 and 2009 for the most recent occurrence of someone claiming that award in consecutive years.

But never in MLS — until now.

The German star has come out on top in seven of 10 head-to-head matchups between the two, and his teams have twice eliminated Messi and Argentina in the World Cup.

But on Saturday, in the latest marquee showdown between the two stars, it was Messi’s turn.

The Argentine super star capped his third Major League Soccer season with the 47th trophy of his career, guiding Inter Miami to a 3-1 win over Müller’s Vancouver Whitecaps in the MLS Cup final.

“Three years ago, I decided to come to MLS, and today we are MLS champions,” Messi said in a quote distributed by MLS. “We reached the semifinals of the (CONCACAF) Champions Cup. Last year we went out early in the league and were eliminated in the first round. This year, winning MLS was one of our main objectives.”

Messi set up the go-ahead goal — a feed to Rodrigo De Paul in the 72nd minute — then added another assist in stoppage time to deliver Inter Miami its first championship in franchise history.

“The team made a huge effort — it was a very long year, with many matches — and we were up to the task all season,” Messi said. “This is the moment I had been waiting for, and that we, as a team, were waiting for. It’s very beautiful for all of us. They deserved it.”

Both Messi and Müller had already secured their soccer legacies long before Saturday’s match. Each is a World Cup and Champions League winner. And both are Club World Cup winners.

They arrived in MLS with a similar goals: to add a league title to their already overflowing resumes. And even with little left to prove in their careers, it was evident how much the chance to lift the MLS Cup mattered to both veterans.

Müller, who led Germany past Messi and Argentina in the 2014 World Cup final and 2010 World Cup quarterfinal, slammed his hand against the turf in frustration at one point in the match, which Vancouver trailed 1-0 after an early own goal before tying it in the 60th.

During the ensuing trophy ceremony, Müller smiled, clapped and gave a thumbs up as Messi was crowned the match’s most valuable player.

“When you reach out for something, it hurts even more when you don’t get it,” said Vancouver coach Jesper Sørensen. “I told (the team) we’ve never been dreamers. I think Thomas said it when he came in. We’re hard workers. We worked hard today. We had the game at 1-1 where we wanted it. … Then we made a mistake and the ball dropped for Messi. And he played a very, very good pass for Rodrigo.”

For Messi, the match ended with his teammates jumping into his arms.

Jordi Alba, who is retiring along with Sergio Busquets, burst into tears and fell to the ground, as the reality of going out as a champion began to sink in.

“Today something very beautiful ends for them, something to which they dedicated their whole lives,” Messi said. “Now a new life begins for them. I wish them the very best, because they are two friends I care for deeply. I’m happy they can leave with this title.”

Messi, his new medal dangling from his neck, embraced inter Miami co-owners Jorge Mas and David Beckham, who brought in the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner three years ago when Inter Miami was near the bottom of the league and faced a steep ascent to the top.

“I’m very happy for him,” said first-year Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano. “I’m very happy because of the season that he played. … For him it was very, very special and very important to win this trophy. He came here to win this trophy.”

Messi and Inter Miami will take on Thomas Müller — one of his longtime rivals — and the Vancouver Whitecaps for Major League Soccer’s championship. It’s the first final for both clubs, which means MLS is about to have a first-time champion.

But for Messi, it’s the end of a couple eras. It’s the last match planned at Inter Miami’s current home, with the team set to move into a still-under-construction stadium near Miami International Airport next season. And barring some serious changes of heart, it’ll be the last time he gets to play with longtime teammates Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets — they’re both retiring after Saturday — and possibly Luis Suarez as well.

“I’m very grateful for the career I’ve had, the teams I’ve played for, everything I’ve learned, everything I’ve enjoyed, and well, it’s been a privilege,” Alba said in Spanish on Thursday. “Yes, it’s a week with a lot of emotions, knowing that it’s going to be my last game … and hopefully, I end my career in the best possible scenario, in a final and we win.”

It’s not like Messi needs this win for his legacy; Argentina’s star — a winner of 46 championships for club and country worldwide, the most in history — is widely considered the greatest player ever and Saturday’s outcome won’t help or hurt that reputation. Same goes for Müller, the German great who has been on the winning end of a World Cup final in which he played against Messi (and Javier Mascherano, now the Inter Miami coach).

That said, Saturday will bring at least one first: If Vancouver wins, Müller will be the first player to win a World Cup and an MLS Cup. If Inter Miami wins, Messi, Rodrigo De Paul and Busquets will become the first trio to say they were both a World Cup and an MLS champion.

“We are going to have four World Cup winners on the pitch,” Mascherano said. “I think it’s very, very interesting for the league.”

Müller — part of more than 30 trophy wins for club and country himself — was asked how the MLS Cup ranks on his list.

“At the moment, I rank it No. 1,” Muller said. “Because it’s the only final that we are talking about. It’s upcoming. At the moment, for me, this final on Saturday is the most important thing in my life.”

He then paused a bit.

“That’s a good line, ah?” he asked, laughing at his joke.

But clearly, the MLS Cup is something that both teams want badly. For Inter Miami, it’s a chance to prove that bringing in the Barcelona foursome — Messi, Alba, Suarez and Busquets — was all worth it. For Vancouver, which beat Inter Miami twice this season in the CONCACAF Champions League, it’s a chance to win a trophy and go through Messi to get it done.

“Obviously, they were much better than us in April,” Mascherano said. “But the situation is not the same. We are in a different situation. We arrive to this final with confidence, with some different players. And we know that they have a very, very good team.”

Of late …

Inter Miami is 10-2-1 in its last 13 matches, going back to the regular season. The team has been particularly dominant in three win-or-go-home matches during these MLS playoffs, winning those by a combined score of 13-1.

Vancouver is 7-1-5 in its last 13 matches and has given up a total of 17 goals in its last 17 matches against MLS opponents.

Home edge

The team playing in its home stadium, or home market, has won 11 of the last 14 MLS Cup titles. Of the three that lost in that scenario, two fell in penalty kicks.

Vancouver won at Inter Miami in April in the CONCACAF semifinals. Inter Miami is 16-2-2 across all competitions at home since.

“We’ve been ready for this this whole season,” Vancouver midfielder Sebastian Berhalter said. “The pressure, it comes with it. It’s a privilege and it’s fun and I think you know our guys are going to lean into it and enjoy it. Home team, away team, I don’t think it matters.”

Miami will take on the winner of Sunday’s other conference semifinal between the Philadelphia Union and New York City FC.

Messi set an MLS playoff record with 12 goal contributions (six goals, six assists).

Cincinnati had the second-best overall record in MLS behind Philadelphia after winning the Supporters Shield last season. Cincinnati lost to the Columbus Crew in last year’s conference finals.

Messi had been scoreless in three matches against Cincinnati, but that streak ended in the 19th minute Sunday when he headed a short cross from Mateo Silvetti, giving Miami a 1-0 lead. Messi, a World Cup champion with Argentina and eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, had his 11th goal in the last seven games.

Nine minutes after scoring, Messi found himself alone with the keeper, but his shot toward the far post sailed wide.

Cincinnati’s best scoring chance came in the first half when Ender Echenique sent a header across the box to Evander, who shot over the bar.

Miami had seven shots on goal to Cincinnati’s four.

Miami made it a two-goal lead 10 minutes into the second half when Silvetti beat Cincinnati keeper Roman Celentano with a shot from the left side of the box.

In the 62nd minute, Messi threaded a pass through the defense to Allende, who made it 3-0. Allende scored again in the 74th minute.

Cincinnati beat Miami 3-0 at home on July 16, and played to a scoreless draw at Fort Lauderdale on July 26. Messi was in the lineup for the first meeting, but not the second.

Construction crews gave 7News a preview of Miami Freedom Park as they say the park is already over 70% completed.

“You look around at all the cranes, it was Herculean. So, again, ambition is the best layman’s term,” said Graham Oxley, Vice President of Miami Freedom Park.

The stadium, which some call the house that team co-owner David Beckman built, will become the team’s permanent home when it opens in 2026.

Located just east of Miami International Airport, the state-of-the-art facility will seat 25,000 fans and has a canopy to keep fans dry if it rains during a game.

Crews say the canopy is operated by a one-of-a-kind cable system, a first for any stadium in Major League Soccer.

“It’s, I joke, it’s kind of my Messi. We, on the stadium side, went out for the most ambitious canopy there is, and we delivered,” said Oxley. Our canopy moves quite a bit, so there’s an equilibrium and a balance where our inner ring and outer ring get to a point where they are each pulling on each other.”

Officials say Miami Freedom Park is set to be ready on April 4, 2026, for Inter Miami’s season opener against Austin FC.

“Everything you see is a global team across three or four different continents that worked over 20 months to put this all together,” said Oxley.

Last month, Messi was on site at the Freedom Park to sign his three-year contract extension.

On Sunday, Inter Miami plays at F.C. Cincinnati in the East semi-finals. If Messi and his teammates advance and then win the East finals, there’s a possibility that Inter Miami could host the MLS Championship Game.

If that happens, it would be their last game at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale on Dec. 6.

The 2026 MLS regular season starts Feb. 21 and runs through Nov. 7. It’ll be the last season in the February-to-November model, with a shortened season planned for 2027 and then the new summer-to-spring calendar for the 2027-28 campaign to closer align with other global leagues.

Inter Miami will open the season with five consecutive road matches, which presumably will allow for the finishing touches to be made to Miami Freedom Park — the team’s still-under-construction home near Miami International Airport. It’s not clear yet if there will be preseason or other matches at the stadium before the April 4 date.

The home opener for Inter Miami will be against Austin FC, a 7:30 p.m. start inside the new 25,000-seat stadium. Messi signed a three-year extension in recent weeks to remain with the team into 2028 and getting that deal done cemented that he — as the team long hoped — would be there for the start of their run at the new facility.

Miami Freedom Park’s opening will start a planned run of three new MLS stadiums in a three-season span, with New York City FC’s Etihad Park set to open in 2027 and a new downtown stadium for Chicago Fire FC slated to open in 2028.

World Cup break

There will be a nearly two-month break for the FIFA World Cup, with no matches scheduled between May 25 and July 16.

Among the final pre-break matches: a doubleheader on FOX on May 24 with Inter Miami facing Philadelphia followed by LAFC against Seattle.

The MLS season will resume shortly before the end of the World Cup; MLS has some rivalry games scheduled for July 16 and 17, prior to the third-place match on July 18 and the World Cup final on July 19.

TV deal

All 510 MLS regular season matches next season will be available on Apple TV in more than 100 countries and regions, with no blackouts and — in a change — no additional subscription required. Some MLS matches will also be available on FOX networks in the U.S., along with TSN and RDS in Canada.

MLS is Back Feb. 21-22

There will be 15 matches on the season’s opening weekend, Feb. 21 and 22. Among them: St. Louis City SC playing host to Charlotte FC on Feb. 21, before FC Cincinnati takes on Atlanta United in the return of coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino.

Also that night: Messi and Inter Miami open the season against LAFC at the iconic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Among the Feb. 22 slate: LA Galaxy hosting New York City FC for Sunday Night Soccer on Apple TV, followed by the Seattle Sounders FC and Colorado Rapids playing on FS1.

All-Star Game

The MLS All-Star Game will be in Charlotte on July 29, one day after the skills challenge. The opponent for the MLS All-Star Game has yet to be announced.

No break in playoffs

The league will observe FIFA’s November window before opening the playoffs, which will allow for the postseason to run without interruption starting Nov. 18.

The league has not revealed the full postseason schedule.

Suárez has been suspended for Saturday’s series-deciding playoff game against Nashville SC, Major League Soccer announced Wednesday, for his actions in Game 2 of the series — specifically, kicking Nashville’s Andy Nájar — this past weekend.

Suárez was also fined an undisclosed amount, MLS said. Inter Miami must win on Saturday in Game 3 of the series with Nashville or its season will end.

MLS’ disciplinary committee said Suárez’s “violent conduct” in the 71st minute of the match on Nov. 1 merited the suspension, even though no foul was called against him on the play. By MLS rules, the committee can unanimously agree to issue a suspension even if no foul was called in real time.

Suárez reached out with his right leg and struck Nájar, with neither one anywhere near the ball.

MLS suspended Suárez earlier this season for three league matches after he was caught spitting at someone during a melee following Inter Miami’s loss to the Seattle Sounders in the Leagues Cup final on Aug. 31. Leagues Cup also suspended Suárez for six future matches in its tournament; MLS took action even though the acts that marred the finish of that game were not in a league match.

Suárez has served suspensions on three other occasions during his career for biting opponents.

Additionally, MLS said Wednesday that Inter Miami defender Ian Fray has been fined for “violating the league’s policy regarding simulation/embellishment” during the Nashville match last weekend. The amount of the fine was not disclosed.

Inter Miami won Game 1 of the series, then dropped Game 2 at Nashville. Inter Miami failed to get out of the first round last season, dropping a Game 3 at home to Atlanta.

Messi played with Suárez — whose status for 2026 and beyond isn’t certain — as well as Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba for years with Barcelona. Suárez followed Busquets and Alba to Inter Miami after Messi stunned many in the soccer world by choosing to sign with Inter Miami midway through 2023.

Messi has extended his contract through 2028. Busquets and Alba are retiring when this Inter Miami season ends.

The deal was announced Thursday, one day before Inter Miami’s playoff opener against Nashville. Messi’s team — the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference — will play host to Game 1 of that best-of-three series on Friday night.

The team announced the move in a social media post, one showing Messi signing the contract inside the new stadium that remains under construction. “HE’S HOME,” the team said in the post.

Inter Miami said it was a three-year deal through 2028. The notion of Messi playing two or three more seasons certainly would serve as a boost to ticket sales at the stadium the team has been building near Miami International Airport. The team has been selling ticket packages and taking deposits on seats in the new park for more than a year, all with the assumption that Messi would remain part of the franchise.

Messi’s decision to stay in Miami is big for both the club and for MLS. He was the league’s MVP last season and is the overwhelming choice to win the award again this year, which would make him only the second two-time winner in league history and the first to win it in back-to-back years. Preki won the MVP award in 1997 and 2003.

“To enjoy him, watching him enjoy doing the things he is doing, he’s very, very competitive and he tries to translate that to the team,” Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano said Thursday. “The best way to help him is trying to do the right things … he has to be comfortable on the pitch. He’s comfortable when things are working in the right way.

“With him, when we do things the right way, we’ll have many chances to have success.”

Messi won MLS’ Golden Boot this season after scoring 29 goals, five more than LAFC’s Denis Bouanga and Nashville’s Sam Surridge. He also had 19 assists, and his 48 total goal contributions was one shy of matching the MLS record of 49 set by Carlos Vela in 2019.

This season, Messi had multiple goals in five consecutive games — making him the first MLS player to achieve such a feat — and had 10 multigoal games, another league record. The previous mark was eight such games.

Messi is 38, which makes this contract likely his last as a professional player. He has spent well over half his life playing at the pro level, making his debut with Barcelona as a 17-year-old in 2004.

It is not clear how long Messi, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner and generally considered the sport’s biggest star, plans to keep playing. He led Argentina to the World Cup title in 2022; his country will aim to defend that trophy when the tournament is played next June and July in the U.S., Mexico and Canada.

His Inter Miami team will look different in 2026, for certain. Messi agreed to join the club in July 2023 on what was a 2 1/2-year contract, and it wound up becoming a reunion of longtime Barcelona teammates when he was eventually joined by Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and Luis Suarez.

Busquets and Alba are both retiring after this season; Alba made the decision to step away just months after agreeing to a three-year contract. Suarez’s future is unclear, and it’s believed retirement could be an option for him as well.

But Messi will play on, into 2026 anyway. He and the team were closing in toward the finish of this drawn-out contract negotiation last month, and it wasn’t clear why it took several more weeks to get Messi to finally sign the deal.

His first contract with Inter Miami was worth an estimated $150 million at the time. It immediately began paying off, with Inter Miami winning its first trophy — the 2023 Leagues Cup — shortly after he arrived.

Last season, when he won the MLS MVP award for the first time, he did so while missing 15 of Inter Miami’s 34 regular-season matches because of injuries or commitments to Argentina’s national team. Even with those absences, Inter Miami won its first Supporters’ Shield by having MLS’ best regular-season record — then got upset in the first round of the playoffs.

The club has seen a massive rise in global popularity with Messi on the roster. His pink No. 10 jersey has been MLS’ highest seller since he joined the league, and he has added to his massive off-field business empire since coming to the U.S. — even starring in a Super Bowl ad last year.

Messi found the net in the 39th minute when he took a pass from Baltasar Rodríguez and scored to put Inter Miami (18-7-8) up 1-0 at halftime.

Jordi Alba, who has announced he will retire at the end of the season, made it 2-0 seven minutes into the second half with his sixth goal. The 36-year-old defender has 11 goals and 27 assists in 64 appearances — all with Miami. The club honored Alba with a ceremony following his final regular-season home match.

Messi notched his 18th assist on Alba’s goal, tying him with Anders Dreyer of San Diego FC for the league lead.

Luis Suárez made it 3-0 in the 61st minute, scoring unassisted for his 10th goal to go with 10 assists.

Messi capped the scoring in the 81st minute with an assist from Alba — his 13th.

It was the league-leading 26th goal of the season for Messi, who leads 2023 Golden Boot winner Denis Bouanga of Los Angeles FC by two goals and Nashville SC’s Sam Surridge by three with one match left in the regular season.

Messi’s 44 goal contributions are the second most in a single season in league history. Only LAFC’s Carlos Vela had more with 49 in 2019.

Rocco Ríos Novo finished with three saves in his sixth start of the season for Inter Miami. It was the third clean sheet for the 23-year-old.

Jayden Hibbert, 21, saved six shots for Atlanta United (5-16-12) in his eighth career start. Hibbert had three of his four first-half saves — two on shots by Messi — over a 10-minute span to keep it scoreless through the first 21 minutes.

Inter Miami and FC Cincinnati both have 62 points in the battle for second place in the Eastern Conference.

Inter Miami closes out the regular season on Saturday with a Decision Day match at Nashville SC, while Atlanta United will finish against visiting D.C. United with last place in the East on the line.

With the victory, Chicago (15-6-11) secured its first playoff berth since 2017 and improved to eighth in the Eastern Conference MLS standings.

Lionel Messi was held scoreless for the second straight game as Inter Miami, which has already clinched a playoff spot, slipped to 16-8-7. The loss hurt Inter Miami’s hopes of winning the Supporters’ Shield. The Philadelphia Union can secure the regular-season title with a win over New York City FC.

“This defeat is exclusively my responsibility. It wasn’t the names (the players), it was the strategy I chose,” Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano said after the game.

The Fire seized the lead early as Dje D’Avilla opened the scoring with a header in the 11th minute and Jonathan Dean scored on a breakaway in the 31st.

Miami cut the deficit to 2-1 when Tomás Avilés scored at the 39-minute mark, but Chicago’s Romingue Kouamé restored the two-goal advantage just before halftime.

Suárez pulled Inter Miami within one with a goal in the 57th minute and the Uruguayan tied the game 3-all when he scored off an assist from Jordi Alba in the 74th.

Justin Reynolds’ tap in at the back post in the 80th minute put Chicago back in front 4-3, and Brian Gutierrez added an insurance goal on a hard shot from just outside the box in the 83rd.

The game was originally scheduled for August 30, but was postponed when Inter made the Leagues Cup Final, where they lost to Seattle 3-0.

Miami made five changes to the lineup used in a 1-1 tie with Toronto on Saturday, including replacing all defenders, except Jordi Alba. Inter Miami had its three-game MLS winning streak halted with the tie against Toronto.

Toronto (5-13-13) has conceded just six goals during the seven consecutive draws. Toronto is winless in its last nine games at 0-2-7, with its last victory coming on July 16.

Miami (16-6-8), which clinched a playoff spot midweek, came into the game 28 points above Toronto in the Eastern Conference.

Tadeo Allende scored in first-half stoppage time for Miami, which had 10 goals in its three previous wins. Jordi Alba’s cross went just over the head of Kosi Thompson and Allende headed it home for his ninth goal.

Mihailovic pulled Toronto even. Richie Laryea got to a Jonathan Osorio pass before it went out of bounds and sent the ball back across the goal for an unmarked Mihailovic to tap in his 10th goal of the season.

Toronto goalkeeper Sean Johnson made a nice save to deny Lionel Messi’s right-footed shot in the 29th. Johnson denied Messi again in the 44th. There were two more great saves in the second half, including Messi’s free kick from the edge of the box.

Saturday’s game drew an announced crowd of 28,855 for the first sellout of the season for Toronto.

The 37-year-old Spanish world champion will soon end his hugely successful career, retiring from soccer at the end of his current season with Inter Miami, the Major League Soccer team said Thursday.

Busquets is widely regarded as one of the best defensive midfielders of his generation, forming a storied three-man midfield at Barcelona with Iniesta and Xavi Hernández behind Messi.

Busquets debuted for Barcelona in 2008 under Pep Guardiola and went on to play 722 matches for the club — putting him third all-time behind Xavi and Messi – while winning nine Spanish league titles and the Champions League three times.

He wasn’t fast or ripped with muscles. He rarely scored. But his lanky frame belied a tenacious tackler and an expert passer, making him the ideal anchorman for the best teams both Barcelona and Spain have ever had.

Barcelona called him “a cornerstone of the finest Barça side of all time.”

He played 143 games for Spain, winning the World Cup in 2010 and the European Championship in 2012. He was Spain’s captain upon retiring from international competition in 2022.

In 2023, Busquets joined Inter Miami where he was reunited with Messi and other former Barcelona teammates Luis Suárez and Jordi Alba. The team said Busquets has had an “extraordinary career” and is “one of the greatest midfielders in football history.”

Former teammates — and rivals — praised him on social media.

“What a privilege it was to play with you all those years, brother,” Iniesta wrote on Instagram. “Your way of playing was one of a kind, and we will never forget it.”

Former Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos, Busquets’s club rival and his teammate with Spain, recalled their time shared on the field as well as Busquets’ “modest and authentic character.”

“(You were) a rival most of the time, other times my teammate, (but) you always stood out thanks to your class, vision, and talent,” Ramos wrote on X.

Miam (16-6-7), which won its third straight game, extended its league-leading goal total to 64 this season. Five of Miami’s last six MLS matches have featured at least three goals, most recently a 3–2 victory over D.C. United.

After his first-half assist, Messi became the first player in MLS history to record at least 35 goal contributions in consecutive seasons. After two second-half goals, Messi became the fourth player in MLS history to record eight multi-goal games in a single season.

Messi made it 2-0 in the 74th minute when he chipped it over Matt Freese, who had come out of his area on a breakaway.

Luis Suárez, coming off a suspension, converted a penalty kick in the 83rd and Messi added another goal three minutes later.

Óscar Ustari recorded his sixth clean sheet of the season.

New York City (16-10-5) had its three-game winning streak come to an end.

New York City had two good scoring chances in the first half. Thiago Martins was left alone at the far post on a corner kick but his header went right at Ustari. Nicolás Fernández cut back his defender in the box and got Ustari to dive the wrong way, but his shot went just wide off the post.

Messi scored the go-ahead goal in the 66th minute before adding some insurance in the 85th. He has 22 goals this season, one more than Nashville SC’s Sam Surridge in the race for the Golden Boot Award.

Defender Jordi Alba collected his 10th assist on Messi’s first goal and Sergio Busquets notched his seventh for the brace.

First-year midfielder Tadeo Allende scored his eighth goal — with an assist from Messi — in the 35th minute and Inter Miami took a 1-0 lead into halftime. It was Messi’s 12th assist this season — tied for fourth most in the league.

DC United pulled even in the 53rd minute when Christian Benteke took a pass from Brandon Servania and scored. It was the ninth goal for the 2024 Golden Boot winner and the 47th of his career. It was the third assist for Servania, matching his career high.

DC United got within 3-2 seven minutes into stoppage time on Jacob Murrell’s second goal this season. Benteke and Rida Zouhir both picked up their second assist.

Óscar Ustari finished with four saves for Inter Miami (15-6-7) in his 22nd start.

Luis Barraza saved four shots for DC United (5-16-10).

Inter Miami, fifth in the Eastern Conference, travels to play fourth-place New York City FC at Citi Field on Wednesday, trailing by one point with two matches in hand.

DC United will host the Philadelphia Union on Saturday.

The Inter Miami star — who is closing in on a contract extension that will keep him with his Major League Soccer club through at least the 2026 season and likely beyond — showed up to watch the global finals of the 1v1 soccer tournament that he helped create and is sponsored by a hydration drink that he co-founded.

His appearance came days after he and Inter Miami closed in on an extension, one that the sides have been working on for months and would assure him of being with the club when it plans to open its new stadium near Miami International Airport next year.

Messi watched both the men’s and women’s semifinals and then the finals of his event. He greeted the winners on stage and signed autographs for fans, even taking a large group selfie with the entire crowd at the end.

But there were no hints about the contract — he did not address reporters — and no news was coming from his team on Friday, either.

“I hope it happens soon, because I think it’s great news not only for the club but for MLS in general, right?” Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano said earlier Friday at the team’s training base in Fort Lauderdale, when asked about the extension.

“I don’t think it’s just for the team,” Mascherano said. “Obviously, for the team, for the club, for the history of this club, it’s something unique. But I think for soccer in general in the United States, it would be very, very important news. They could have the best player who has ever played this sport here for a while longer.”

Messi captained Argentina to the World Cup title in 2022 and has been part of qualifying matches with the team — but has not formally said that he will play in the tournament when it comes to the U.S., Canada and Mexico next year.

The 38-year-old Messi has 20 goals — second most in the league — and 11 assists in MLS play this season.

He joined Inter Miami in July 2023 on a 2 1/2-year contract, one that was worth an estimated $150 million at the time. Messi was MLS’ MVP last season, even in a year where he missed 15 of Inter Miami’s 34 regular-season matches with injuries or national team commitments.

He has helped the team win its first two trophies, the Leagues Cup in 2023 and the Supporters’ Shield for having the best record in MLS last season.

Messi and Inter Miami will play D.C. United on Saturday. Miami opens the weekend sixth in the Eastern Conference, eight points behind first-place Philadelphia — but with three matches in hand on the conference leaders and still in the race for one of the top playoff seeds as well as the Supporters’ Shield.

The talks on what will be structured as a multi-year deal have been ongoing for months, the person said.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither Messi nor the team has revealed details.

Inter Miami did not respond to a request for comment. ESPN and USA Today both reported Wednesday that the deal was close to being finalized.

Inter Miami has been pushing for Messi to re-sign for some time for countless reasons, but one is that the team desperately wants him to still be on the roster when its new stadium near Miami International Airport is supposed to be opened next year. The team has been selling ticket packages and taking deposits on seats in the new park for more than a year, and it’s reasonable to think that demand for such seats would be lower if Messi was no longer on the team.

The 38-year-old Messi has 20 goals — second-most in the league — and 11 assists in Major League Soccer play this season.

He joined Inter Miami in July 2023 on a 2½-year contract, one that was worth an estimated $150 million at the time. Messi was MLS’ MVP last season, even in a year where he missed 15 of Inter Miami’s 34 regular-season matches with injuries or commitments to Argentina’s national team.

He has helped the team win its first two trophies, the Leagues Cup in 2023 and the Supporters’ Shield for having the best record in MLS last season. The club has seen a massive rise in global popularity with Messi being on the roster and would figure to benefit even more if he remains with Inter Miami into 2026 — when Messi and Argentina will aim to defend their World Cup title.

The Sounders beat Inter Miami 3-0 in the Leagues Cup on Aug. 31, but Messi assisted a wide open Jordi Alba with an outside-of-the-foot pass in the 12th minute to give the Herons early command on Tuesday.

Messi nearly doubled the score in the 28th minute when he received a ball over the top and once again tried to execute using the outside of his left foot, but the shot hit off the post.

Alba returned the favor in the 41st minute, assisting a darting Messi who got just enough of a touch to make it 2-0.

“I’m always looking for him (Messi), he’s always looking for me. We’ve created a lot of goals and we hope it’s like that until the end of our careers,” Alba said.

Ian Fray headed home Rodrigo De Paul’s corner in the opening minutes of the second half to extended the Herons’ lead to 3-0.

“It was definitely a little extra motivation. After losing a game like that, you don’t forget it,” Fray said reflecting on the rematch win.

Obed Vargas found the back of the net for Seattle’s goal in the 69th minute, as the Mexican international scored on his country’s independence day.

Inter Miami was again without Luis Suárez who served the second game of his three-match MLS ban for spitting on a member of the Sounders’ coaching staff in the Leagues Cup Final.

Messi had a chance to complete a brace in the 76th minute, but was denied by Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei. New Inter Miami signing Mateo Silvetti made his debut after arriving from Messi’s boyhood club, Newell’s Old Boys in Argentina.

MLS action continues for both teams when Inter Miami hosts D.C. United on Saturday, while the Sounders travel to face Austin FC on Sunday.

Suárez will not be able to play in the tournament next season, and the ban could stretch into future seasons. Inter Miami played six Leagues Cup matches this year — three in the group phase, then three in the knockout stage — on its way to the final.

The ban would not apply to Major League Soccer matches, though it is possible that Suárez could still face sanctioning from that league. The Leagues Cup is a separate competition.

Also suspended for future Leagues Cup matches for their roles in the postgame melee following Seattle’s 3-0 win were Sounders coaching staff member Steven Lenhart, who drew a five-match ban; Inter Miami’s Tomás Avilés, who got a three-match ban; and Sergio Busquets, banned for two matches.

All four will also be fined.

Suárez had an infamous intentional handball in the 2010 World Cup quarterfinals to take a semifinal spot from Ghana and has served suspensions on three occasions for biting opponents — the most recent of those in 2014, after he chomped down on the shoulder of Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini following a tussle in the penalty area during a World Cup match.

Suárez — a longtime teammate of Inter Miami star Lionel Messi — appeared to spit toward a member of the Sounders’ staff and grabbed at least one Seattle player by the neck during a postgame melee. MLS officials are also looking into the matter, and Suárez apologized on Thursday.

“Things happened right after the match that shouldn’t have happened, but that doesn’t justify my reaction. I was wrong and I sincerely regret it,” he wrote. “It’s not the image I want to portray, neither to my family, who are suffering because of my mistakes, nor to my club, which doesn’t deserve to be affected by something like this.”

D.C. (4-15-9), which is winless in 11 consecutive games, was eliminated from playoff contention.

Rodríguez, a 22-year-old who made is seventh appearance in MLS, made it 1-1 in the 64th minute. Rodrigo De Paul’s arcing corner kick slipped untouched through the area and skipped twice before Rodríguez bent a first-touch shot from outside the area into the side-net.

Jackson Hopkins scored a goal for the second consecutive game to give D.C. a 1-0 lead in the 13th. The 21-year-old Hopkins, who scored his first career goal in MLS last Saturday in a 1-1 tie with Montreal, put away an arcing first-touch entry pass played by Matti Peltola — off a long clearance —- from the center of the area.

Miami had 64% possession but was outshot 8-4 in the first half and trailed 1-0 at halftime.

Rocco Ríos Novo had a save for Miami (13-5-7).

United’s Christian Benteke served a one-game suspension (yellow card accumulation).

Luis Barraza stopped two shots for D.C. United.

After leading his team to victory over the LA Galaxy, Messi did not train ahead of the game Wednesday.

Suarez converted his first penalty after Jordi Alba’s cross hit the arm of sliding Tigres defender Javier Aquino. Ángel Correa scored for Tigres, slicing through the defense for the equalizer. Then, the ball once again hit Aquino’s arm in the box and Suarez scored the winner from the penalty spot.

A late header from Tigres’ Edgar Lopez ricocheted off both posts.

Miami coach Javier Mascherano was given a red card before the second half began. Mascherano was seen talking on the phone and giving instructions after being sent off, which is prohibited per Leagues Cup rules.

Inter Miami’s Jordi Alba left early in the second half after hurting his lower leg in a collision late in the first half.

The Argentine superstar had missed numerous scoring chances in his return from injury Saturday night against the LA Galaxy, but in the match’s waning minutes, Messi scored the go-ahead goal, then assisted on another to help lift Inter Miami to a 3-1 victory.

Messi did not start the match, instead coming on at the beginning of the second half after being sidelined two games with a right hamstring injury. He suffered the injury in Inter Miami’s Leagues Cup match against Necaxa on Aug. 2.

Messi slipped through defenders with his trademark dribbling before burying a left-footed shot from distance that made it 2-1 in the 84th minute. He then set up Luis Suárez with a back heel assist to give Miami a two-goal cushion.

It was the 19th goal of the season for Messi, who leads MLS, and a needed win for Inter Miami, which moved up to fourth place after slipping to sixth in the East following a 4-1 rout at Orlando last week.

Miami coach Javier Mascherano said the team will check in with Messi on Sunday to see how he felt after the game, in regard to the hamstring injury as well as fatigue. There were times during the match that Messi appeared to stretch out his right leg.

“The important thing is that he finished (the match),” Mascherano said through an interpreter, adding that he thought Messi seemed to get more comfortable as the game went on.

Jordi Alba put Miami up 1-0 late in the first half on Saturday, finishing a well-placed through ball from Sergio Busquets.

Joseph Paintsil tied it in the 59th for the Galaxy, who are the defending MLS Cup champions but are currently last in the Western Conference standings.

Miami played the match without Lionel Messi, who is sidelined indefinitely with what the team described as a minor muscle injury in his right leg.

Messi was hurt in the opening minutes of Inter Miami’s win over Necaxa on Saturday. He was in attendance for Wednesday’s match and watched from a suite at Chase Stadium.

Miami, which has eight points in the Major League Soccer Leagues Cup standings, is the first MLS club through to the tournament’s knockout stages.

Rodrigo De Paul scored his first Inter Miami goal on an assist from Suárez in the 45th, tying the match after Pumas’ Jorge Ruvalcaba opened scoring in the 34th.

De Paul, the star Argentine midfielder who came to MLS to play with his national team friend Messi, made his club debut in Inter Miami’s League’s Cup opener against Atlas last Wednesday and had two assists against Necaxa.

Suárez put Inter Miami ahead 2-1 when he converted a penalty kick in the 59th after a handball was called on Pumas defender José Caicedo in the penalty area.

It was Suárez first goal since he scored in Inter Miami’s Club World Cup match against Palmeiras on June 23.

Tadeo Allende finished Suárez’s second assist of the night in the 69th.

Messi underwent tests on his right leg after experiencing discomfort following a play in which he fell while being challenged by a pair of Necaxa defenders, in a game Inter Miami won on penalty kicks.

His timeline for return isn’t yet known, though it seems unlikely that he will be available for Miami’s next Leagues Cup match against UNAM Pumas on Wednesday.

Inter Miami said in a release that Messi’s medical clearance will depend on how he responds to treatment.

Messi slapped his hand against the ground in frustration after the fall, which happened in the first 10 minutes of Saturday’s match. He walked slowly toward the Inter Miami bench before sitting down on the pitch. Trainers came out and worked on his right upper thigh area for a couple of minutes before he subbed out for Federico Redondo in the 11th. He then immediately walked to the locker room.

Miami coach Javier Mascherano said after the game that Messi wasn’t in any pain.

Jordi Alba had the tying goal on a header the made it 2-2 in the second minute of stoppage time to force the shootout.

Inter Miami then converted all five of its penalty kicks, and goalkeeper Rocco Ríos Novo denied Tomás Badaloni in the third round of the shootout. Suárez hit the winning shot into the top left corner.

Messi was injured around the eighth minute when he fell while being challenged by a pair of defenders near the penalty area. He walked slowly toward the Inter Miami bench before sitting down on the pitch. Trainers came out and worked on his right upper thigh area before he subbed out in the 11th.

Miami played down a man the rest of regulation.

Telasco Segovia put his side ahead 1-0 minute after Messi exited on a feed from Inter Miami newcomer Rodrigo De Paul, who had two assists in just his second match with the club. It was Segovia’s second goal of the tournament.

Badaloni tied it at 1 on a shot that he tapped past Ríos Novo to the bottom left corner in the 33rd.

Ricardo Monreal put the Mexican club ahead on what looked to be the winning score in the 81st before veteran left back Alba snapped a header into the back of the net on De Paul’s free kick.

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.

Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas called the punishment “draconian” on Friday, saying that Messi was “extremely upset” at the suspension that sidelined him for an important match as Miami pushes for its second-straight MLS Supporters’ Shield.

Miami and Cincinnati both entered the matchup as winners of six of their last seven. Cincinnati, which routed Messi and Inter Miami 3-0 last Wednesday — is second in the Supporters’ Shield standings with 49 points, while Inter Miami is fifth with 42 points.

Cincinnati defender Miles Robinson nearly scored the winner a couple minutes into stoppage time on Saturday when he headed home MVP candidate Evander’s free kick, but the goal was disallowed because of a foul.

Veteran striker Luis Suárez made several incredible passes in the opening minutes, including one to Fafà Picault, whose header was denied by Cincinnati goalkeeper Roman Celentano.

Before the match, Miami introduced Argentine midfielder Rodrigo De Paul, Messi’s good friend and national team buddy who officially signed with the club on Friday. Fans at Chase Stadium cheered and waved welcome signs as the new Miami star walked onto the pitch.

“I’m going to give everything I have,” De Paul told the crowd.

Messi and Alba did not suit up for the match between the MLS and Liga MX of Mexico despite being voted to the game. Messi did not play to rest amid a packed schedule and Alba was dealing with a previous injury.

Per MLS rules, any player who doesn’t participate in the All-Star Game without prior approval from the league is ineligible to compete in their club’s next match.

The players will miss Miami’s home match Saturday against FC Cincinnati, which sits atop the Eastern Conference standings.

As Inter Miami awaited the league’s decision, both Messi and Alba practiced with the club on Friday in anticipation of playing in Saturday’s match.

“I know Lionel Messi loves this league,” said MLS Commissioner Don Garber. “I don’t think there’s a player — or anyone — who has done more for Major League Soccer than Messi. I fully understand, respect, and admire his commitment to Inter Miami, and I respect his decision.

“Unfortunately, we have a long-standing policy regarding participation in the All-Star Game, and we had to enforce it. It was a very difficult decision.”

Garber added that the league will re-evaluate the policy and work with players to “determine how the rule should evolve.”

Messi’s teammate at Inter Miami, Jordi Alba, will also miss the game.

An MLS spokesperson said Inter Miami informed league officials that the two players will not appear in the match at Q2 Stadium.

Both could face a one-match suspension for missing the All-Star Game without a credible injury report. The league will speak with Inter Miami officials before providing an update on possible suspensions.

Messi missed the All-Star Game last year with an injury.

Messi is tied with Nashville forward Sam Surridge for the MLS lead in goals scored with 18. Messi has scored two goals in six of his last seven matches.

Beckham encountered a bit of a hiccup while he trimming his hair, according to a video he posted on his Instagram page Sunday, which resulted in an unfortunately placed bald spot on the top of his head.

“What have you done?” Victoria Beckham, his wife, is heard saying off-camera, to which David Beckham replied, “it’s not funny… the clipper head fell off.”

Victoria Beckham, with a laugh, went on to roast her husband, joking about how their kids will have “hours of content” from this.

“It does not look good,” she said. “I’m going to always be honest with you. It looks terrible.”

In the caption, David Beckham wrote that “this happened yesterday whilst shaving my head and as you can hear my wife didn’t find it funny at all.”

Referencing a viral moment stemming from the Netflix documentary “Beckham,” where the football star interrupts Victoria Beckham’s interview telling her to “be honest,” David Beckham quipped in his caption that when it comes to his hair, she doesn’t “always need to BE THAT HONEST.”

Perhaps next time Beckham needs a trim, he’ll consider visiting a professional hair stylist.

Cincinnati got a first-half goal from Gerardo Valenzuela and two second-half strikes from Evander to remain one point behind the Philadelphia Union in the Eastern Conference standings. Philadelphia beat CF Montreal 2-1 on Wednesday night.

The loss ended a five-match winning streak for Inter Miami (11-4-5) which is fifth in the Eastern Conference standings.

Messi is the first player in MLS history to have a multi-goal streak of more than four matches. He was tied for the league lead with 16 goals in 17 MLS matches.

Messi has only played in three matches against Cincinnati since coming to MLS, but the team has made things difficult for the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner.

Cincinnati had four shots on target in the first 16 minutes to none for Inter Miami, and took a 1-0 lead when Valenzuela angled a shot from the left side of the box for his fifth goal of the season.

Messi’s first shot came in the final minute of first-half stoppage time and landed comfortably in the arms of keeper Roman Celentano.

Evander’s 14th goal of the season, and 50th in MLS, put Cincinnati ahead 2-0 less than five minutes into the second half.

Cincinnati (14-3-6) also had a two-goal lead on Saturday against Columbus but lost 4-2 to the Crew.

Cincinnati held on this time by neutralizing Inter Miami’s attack, led by Messi.

Evander sealed the victory when he made it 3-0 with a goal off a rebound when Luca Orellano’s shot caromed off the keeper.

Messi had a chance in the 78th minute, but his close-range shot was saved by a diving Celentano.

The 38-year-old Messi has played 90-plus minutes in eight straight games, including four Club World Cup matches. At one point in the second half, he had covered the least amount of distance of any player.

Cincinnati played without second-leading scorer Kevin Denkey due to a leg injury.

Up next

Cincinnati visits Real Salt Lake and Inter Miami is at the New York Red Bulls on Saturday night.

Miami (11-3-5) won its fifth straight match and moved to fifth in the Supporter’s Shield standings as it aims to win the title for the second-straight season.

Messi entered Saturday’s match as the only player in Major League Soccer history with four straight multi-goal games after scoring two in Miami’s win over the New England Revolution on Wednesday.

And he wasn’t done.

Messi opened the scoring Saturday on a free kick in the 17th minute. Then after Nashville tied it early in the second half, Messi put his side back on top with a steal and score in the 62nd.

Messi now has 16 goals in 16 MLS matches this season, which is tied with Nashville’s Sam Surridge (16 goals in 21 matches) for most in the league.

“There’s not very many words,” Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano said through an interpreter. “It’s incredible what he continues to do to break records, now every three days. He is the leader. He shows us the way to compete, and he obviously involves the rest of the players. He shows how we have to continue and how to maintain the tone that we’ve had.

“The truth is, it is a blessing — in my case at least — to be able to be with him in this time of his career.”

Nashville (12-5-5), which had won five straight entering the match, had jumped to third in the Supporter’s Shield Standings during its unbeaten streak that went back to mid-April across all competitions. It was also the longest active streak of its kind in MLS and Nashville’s best stretch in its six-season club history.

On his first goal, Messi bent a low free kick through Nashville’s wall of defenders — a spectacular kick from the nine-time Ballon d’Or winner that gave him 55 goals in 66 Inter Miami matches.

Hany Mukhtar scored the equalizer early in the second half. Andy Nájar sent a cross into the box that Mukhtar headed past Oscar Ustari to tie the match in the 49th.

Messi then scored with ease after capitalizing on a gaffe by Nashville goalkeeper Joe Willis, who mistakenly made a pass directly to Messi for the go-ahead score.

Mascherano added the team has discussed how to manage its star player’s workload. The 38-year-old Messi has played 90-plus minutes in seven straight games, including four Club World Cup matches.

“How do we take him out?” Mascherano said. “We will continue to look, and the truth is we understand that at some point we’re going to have to find that space to give him a little bit of rest. We talk about it day by day. He feels fine. According to how he’s feeling at the time, if we believe that it’s time to give him a little bit of rest, we’ll do it.”

Miami (10-3-5) has won four straight and is unbeaten in its last five.

Defender Tanner Beason misplayed a header and Messi capitalized, scoring on a half-volley to open the scoring in the 27th minute.

Messi made it 2-0 in the 38th. Sergio Busquets played a ball ahead from just beyond midfield to a charging Messi, who scored on a first-touch shot from the edge of the penalty area that slipped inside the right post.

Messi has at least one goal in five straight games. He has 14 goals — second in MLS to Nashville’s Sam Surridge (16) — and seven assists in 15 regular-season matches.

Óscar Ustari had five saves for Miami.

New England (6-8-6) is winless in five straight.

Carles Gil scored in the 79th minute for the Revolution. Aljaz Ivacic stopped one shot.

Luis Suárez directed a long ball from Tomás Avilés to Messi with a header, who had time to gather the ball, dribble into the box and finish with his left foot to the far post to make it 2-1 in the 40th minute.

It was the first M:S game in over a month for Miami while competing in the Club World Cup. PSG eliminated Miami 4-0 last week.

Prince Owusu gave Montreal (3-13-5) a quick lead two minutes into the game.

Tadeo Allende, assisted by Messi, scored in the 33rd minute to tie the game for Miami (9-3-5), which has won three straight, including a 3-2 win over Montreal at home on May 28.

Telasco Segovia scored in the 60th minute and Messi connected again two minutes later, again weaving through a pack of Montreal defenders. Messi has 12 goals in 14 MSL games this season.

Óscar Ustari made seven saves for Miami after a Messi giveway gave Owusu an easy goal.

Miami (8-3-5) has won back-to-back games — including a 3-2 victory over Montreal at home on May 28 — and is unbeaten in three straight.

During a press conference on Monday, activists said fans who will be attending the games will come from all over the world and instead of getting a welcome mat being rolled out for them, they are concerned they will be asked for their papers.

They added they want to see FIFA and Miami Dade County’s mayor use whatever influence they have to try to ease off on those immigration concerns.

“Our ask is for FIFA to pressure, for there to be no immigration enforcement during the games,” said Yareliz Mendez-Zamora of the American Friends Service Committee. “No Immigration and Customs Enforcement presence at the games.”

The activists said ICE providing security at the ongoing FIFA Club World Cup could be scaring fans off and they want to prevent the same thing from happening to next year’s FIFA World Cup games at Hard Rock Stadium.

Activists say ICE entering into agreements to work with the police and local municipalities like Doral and Miami and on FIU’s campus, the allure of the international event could be tainted by fear.

Fans who attended the match between Real Madrid and Juventus in Miami Gardens on Tuesday expressed their thoughts on the matter.

“ICE, at a game like this? Eh, I don’t think so, I don’t agree with it,” said Oly Palma, a woman attending a game. “My husband didn’t want to come. My husband is 74 and he didn’t want to come because of that.”

“If you’ve done all your complete life the correct way, paper-wise and all that, I don’t think you should be afraid of anything here.” said Rodrigo Garcia, another person attending a game.

FIFA has maintained a neutral position, with the president, Gianni Infantino, not saying whether the federal government had told FIFA that ICE would be at the games in a press-conference in June.

Customs and Border Protection posted on social media earlier this month, saying “CBP will be suited and booted ready to provide security for the first round of games.”

Earlier this month, agents with CBP and the U.S. Coast Guard boarded a boat chartered by a Spanish-language news network, asking the boat and catering crews to provide proof of their legal status. The mayors of Miami and Miami Dade County were also on board.

“If even elected officials and high-profile media outlets aren’t immune to ICE and CBP overreach, how can regular working families feel safe attending a soccer match?” said Paul Christian Namphy of the Family Action Network Movement.

Miami-Dade County gave $46 million in the form of subsidies to FIFA. Documentary filmmaker, Billy Corbin says that amounts to an investment by taxpayers when other areas of the county budget may be strained.

“Let me be clear, they’re coming here to see the World Cup, not to see Alligator Alcatraz,” said Corbin, “So, FIFA, please protect your fans.”

The concerns among activists extend beyond South Florida. The Los Angeles Dodgers denied stadium access to ICE agents on June 20th. The Dodgers later pledged $1 million to support immigrant families who have been impacted by President Trump’s pledge to step up deportations of undocumented migrants.

As of Tuesday afternoon, there has not been a substantial sighting of any ICE agents at the FIFA Club World Cup games in Miami Gardens.

With Messi facing the team where he spent two seasons before moving to Major League Soccer in the twilight of his stellar career, the European champions quickly erased the Herons’ hopes of pulling off a monumental upset before a crowd of 65,574 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Neves scored his first goal just six minutes into the match, converting a header at the back post off a free kick. The Portuguese midfielder added another in the 39th minute before Inter Miami totally fell apart in the closing stages of the first half, surrendering an own-goal and then watching helplessly as Achraf Hakimi tacked on another in stoppage time to send PSG to the locker room with a four-goal cushion.

It was reminiscent of PSG’s historic 5-0 rout of Inter Milan a month ago in the Champions League final, when the Paris club won its first European title and established itself as the clear favorite heading into the expanded Club World Cup.

The pink-clad fans tried to stir No. 10 with occasional chants of “Messi! Messi! Messi!” but it did little good. The Argentine star spent most of the first half just lingering in the midfield, surrounded by PSG players and barely getting a chance to touch the ball.

Inter Miami’s best chance came early in the second half. A pass to Luis Suárez sent him clear at the side of the net, but the ball slid harmlessly off his foot without a shot. The 38-year-old striker kicked a water bottle over the barrier in frustration, summing up the day for the Herons.

Messi finally connected with Inter Miami’s first shot on goal in the 63rd minute, but it was easily scooped up by goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. Messi had another chance on a header with about 10 minutes remaining, forcing Donnarumma to make a diving save in the only real threat to his third shutout of the tournament.

PSG advanced to a quarterfinal match next Saturday, also in Atlanta, against Bayern Munich. The German club defeated Flamengo of Brazil 4-2.

Key moment

The European powerhouses came into this tournament showing little enthusiasm for the added workload at the end of a grueling season. But, right from the opening kick, PSG played like a team that appears intent on capping its already brilliant campaign with a Club World Cup title.

Takeaways

Even with aging international stars such as Messi and Suarez, the MLS club wasn’t in the same league with the European champs.

Facing fierce pressure from PSG, Inter Miami struggled simply to get the ball out of its own half.

PSG held 73% possession in the first half and outshot the Herons 10-0, including six attempts on goal.

They said it

“We had a very good game. We didn’t stop. We kept playing our game. It was a positive day for us.” — Neves.

“The first half was kind of like a bloodbath. … But I am very proud of my team and what we have accomplished.” — Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano through an interpreter.

There wasn’t much different about what they did. Dribbling drills. Some laughs. Interactions with coaches.

But this training was more important than most.

In a few days, Inter Miami will play one of the biggest matches of its five-year club history when the Herons take on French juggernaut Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup round of 16.

The storylines will be plenty.

Inter Miami will be a heavy underdog against Paris Saint-Germain, winners of last month’s Champions League final in a 5-0 thrashing of Inter Milan. It will be uncharted territory for Messi, who rarely has in his decorated career entered a match as anything other than the favorite.

It will be the first time Messi faces his former club since his exit from Paris Saint-Germain in 2023 after two seasons.

He also will be facing his former Barcelona coach Luis Enrique, now the coach of PSG, who has had a big influence on Messi and several Inter Miami stars.

Messi was coached by Enrique for three of his 17 seasons with Barcelona. The Spanish coach led Barcelona from 2014 to 2017. He won nine titles, including two La Liga trophies, three from Copa del Rey and one Champions League.

Messi, Suarez and Brazilian star Neymar played together under Enrique for three memorable seasons, forming the famed “MSN” trio that combined for 364 goals and 173 assists.

“He has been very important to my career,” Suarez said of Enrique, “what I learned from him and just being around him. I had a competitive DNA before I played for him, but he upgraded it even more.”

Miami’s Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets also played for Enrique, and coach Javier Mascherano considers him a great friend.

“I have said this many times, but Luis Enrique is the best coach in the world,” Alba said after Miami’s draw with Palmeiras on Monday, “not only just as a soccer coach, but also in the way he manages the whole group, which is spectacular. He’s a phenomenon. We’ll meet him and hug him, but when the referee blows the opening whistle, we’re going try to beat him, which is what all of us here are trying to do.”

Mascherano, 41, also played alongside Messi, Suarez & Co. when Barcelona won the treble under Enrique in 2015.

“I have a special relationship with him,” Mascherano said. “I have a special relationship with his family. Obviously, it will be very special facing him. It will be an honor for me facing a great coach. One of the greatest coaches I’ve had in my career.”

The knockout stages of the Club World Cup begin Saturday, and Inter Miami’s showdown with PSG is Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Despite entering the tournament on somewhat of a slump, Miami became the only Major League Soccer team to advance to the Club World Cup round of 16 after playing Palmeiras to a 2-2 draw earlier this week, finishing runner-up to the Brazilian club in Group A.

That was after the Herons secured a 2-1 victory over two-time European champion Porto on a trademark free kick by Messi, who along with his longtime teammates has driven Miami’s belief that it can make a statement on the global stage.

Suarez noted how important advancing to the knockout stage was for the club’s trajectory, but the Herons know the odds for Sunday’s matchup. They know they’ll be the underdogs.

They insist they’re ready for the challenge.

“Now that we are facing likely the best team in Europe — the Champions League champion — we will try to maintain the same commitment and unity and play a great match,” Mascherano said. “If there is something this sport has proven is that anything can happen in any match. And who’s to say that Sunday will (not) be our day. Sometimes, things happen.”

Miami Freedom Park is beginning to take shape in Miami, where crews continue working to get the stadium ready in time for Inter Miami to play their home games by the spring season of 2026.

The workers building the massive 134-acre park provided a sneak peek on Tuesday.

“It’s not like building a condo tower where it’s rinse and repeat as you go up. You, kind of, have to think through and design and build every single space uniquely,” said Graham Oxley, the park’s vice president.

Officials said there will be enough space for 25,000 fans to pack the stadium.

Oxley said a special feature of the stadium’s design will help amplify excited crowds cheering.

“One of the unique elements about our stadium is we’re one continuous bowl and, when you put our canopy on top of it, it’s gonna get really loud,” said Oxley.

Crews said the field part of the project is around 50% completed, with the structure and seating areas beginning to form.

Underneath the seats and at field level will be the luxury suites.

The team has already begun selling some of those future suites to season ticker holders.

At the Inter Miami Experience Center in Wynwood, a replica shows exactly what fans can expect to find inside those suites, including the food they would get.

Prices for suites start at $70,000 per season.

Fans not looking to break the bank will have an alternative option that will be open to the public every day.

Renderings of the stadium show a 58-acre public park, with space for shopping, dining and athletic fields next to the stadium that the public will be able to enjoy.

The space won’t just be home to soccer matches. Officials said they will also be able to host other events, including concerts once they’ve finished construction.

Goals from Tadeo Allende and Luis Suárez appeared to have earned Miami its second win of the group stage, but Paulinho and Maurício struck for Palmeiras inside the final 10 minutes to earn a vital draw that also sent the Verdão into the knockout stages.

Palmeiras now faces an all-Brazilian clash against Botafogo in the round of 16.

Miami and Palmeiras both finished on five points, with the Brazilians topping the group on goal difference. Portuguese club Porto and Egypt’s Al Ahly were eliminated.

“Before the start of the tournament, if someone told me that we were going to have this kind of performance against these kinds of teams, I’d sign on,” Miami head coach Javier Mascherano told DAZN.

“So I appreciate the team, the guys, all the players, because they gave more than 100 percent. I think it’s a historic night for MLS because we are into the best 16 teams in the world. So I think all of MLS has to be proud of Inter Miami.”

Miami is the only MLS team to make it through to the knockout stages, with the Seattle Sounders and Los Angeles FC being eliminated from the competition.

European champion PSG, where Messi spent two seasons between 2021-23, reached the knockouts with a comfortable 2-0 win over the Sounders thanks to goals from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Achraf Hakimi.

There will be another reunion at the round of 16 as Miami contingent Messi, Suárez, Mascherano, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Albi face off against former coach Luis Enrique, who led them to a historic treble at Barcelona in 2015.

“For the club, this kind of achievement is wonderful, and now we’ve got to compete against a PSG side that will be very tough,” Alba told DAZN. “Let’s see if we can hold our own. We’ve competed in all three matches.

“Now, obviously we’re talking about the champions of Europe. We know a lot of their players, and the coach – who I was lucky enough to play under – and I’ve always said he’s the best in the world.

“Once the game starts, it’s about going toe-to-toe, trying to beat them, and why not? This is football – let’s see how far we can go.”

Meanwhile, Atlético Madrid was eliminated despite a 1-0 win over Botafogo. The Spanish side finished on six points along with the Brazilians and PSG in Group B but lost out on goal difference.

In Group A, Porto and Al Ahly played out an enthralling 4-4 draw in a game both sides needed to win to have any hope of progressing.

Al Ahly looked on course to earn a historic win over its European opponent, but Pepê equalized for Porto with a minute remaining.

PSG faces Inter Miami in the round of 16 on Sunday.

Messi was taken down just outside the penalty area by Rodrigo Mora on a run down the middle of the field. With chants of “Messi! Messi!” rocking Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the 37-year-old Argentine star’s left-footed blast cleared the wall and sailed into the top right corner.

Inter Miami tied it at 1 on Telasco Segovia’s goal two minutes into the second half off a cross into the box from from Marcelo Weigandt.

Messi’s goal serves as a continuation of good form in the calendar year. Though the team has had a slow start, he has 10 goals and seven assists in 12 starts. It felt like a home game for Miami, with an overwhelmingly pink crowd in Atlanta.

With Messi’s 38th birthday less than a week away, his continued success is a positive sign for fans, including the thousands wearing No. 10 jerseys inside the stadium, that his retirement is still a ways away.

The MLS club and two-time European champion Porto were held to scoreless draws in their opening Group A matches.

Argentina’s eight-time Ballon d’Or winner looked set to provide a stunning finish in front of a crowd of more than 60,000, whipping a curling long shot towards the top corner in the sixth minute of added time. But he was denied his moment of glory as Al Ahly goalkeeper Mohamed Elshenawy pushed the ball onto the crossbar. Messi also shaved the post with a free kick earlier in the second half.

Miami had its own good fortune, surviving a first-half onslaught by 12-time African champion Al Ahly, with goalkeeper Oscar Ustari saving a penalty from Trezeguet just before the break.

KEY MOMENT

Miami had to rely on veteran Argentine goalkeeper Ustari to keep the game level in the first half, with the 38-year-old pulling off a number of saves as Al Ahly dominated the chances. He produced a crucial double save just before halftime — blocking Trezeguet’s 43rd-minute penalty and then getting up quickly to deny the forward again on the rebound.

TAKEAWAYS

A draw leaves both teams with a battle to advance from Group A with tougher tests likely to come against Brazilian giant Palmeiras and Porto from Portugal. The top two advance to the round of 16.

Miami can be encouraged by its performance in the second half after being dominated in the first half. Inter Miami had the better chances after the break, with Messi’s free kick and curling long shot both hitting the woodwork.

WHAT THEY SAID

“It was a good party for football. It’s a new competition and the chance to play teams we don’t play normally in our league, so it can be very good for us. You can prove what we can do.” – Javier Mascherano, Inter Miami coach.

“I’m disappointed with the result. We could have taken all three points. We respect Inter Miami and their big-name players, but we could’ve finished the game in the first half by scoring three or four goals.” — Wessam Abou Ali, Ah Ahly forward.

Just five years after its MLS debut, the team co-owned by David Beckham and starring Lionel Messi will have the eyes of the world on it as it kicks off soccer’s newest competition with the chance to be crowned world champion.

It’s been a wild ride.

“This is a competition that will let us see where we are standing as a team,” coach Javier Mascherano said Friday as Miami enters the unknown in a competition featuring 32 of the best teams from around the globe. “No one expects us to go far, but this should be an advantage. We don’t have that in our national league when people expect Miami to be the winning team.”

Up first for Miami at the Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday is Africa’s most successful team — Al Ahly from Egypt, which has won a record 12 African championships.

When it comes to winning heritage, there is no competition. Al Ahly, founded in 1907, has won a record 45 national league titles and 39 domestic cups — another record. It qualified for the Club World Cup three times over by winning three of the last four African Champions League titles.

Questions over Miami’s place

Miami, meanwhile, is taking part in the tournament by more questionable means. Its place was secured as a result of winning the MLS Supporters’ Shield, a decision that was greeted with some surprise when announced by FIFA president Gianni Infantino last year, and looked even more curious when Miami failed to go on and lift the MLS Cup that season.

A tournament devised to determine the best team in the world by largely bringing together continental champions managed to shoehorn in a team that hadn’t even managed to win its own national title.

No wonder questions were raised.

Miami, however, has made a habit of pulling off the unlikely and setting its sights high.

“Our club will have a global vision,” managing owner and CEO Jorge Mas said when Miami was launched in 2018 — at that time without a team or even a name.

Led by Messi, a classy pedigree

Miami has lived up to that billing — luring star players like former Real Madrid forward Gonzalo Higuain and eventually landing the biggest of them all two years ago when signing Messi. It is no surprise Infantino wanted the Argentine great in his inaugural tournament. The presence of the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner adds glamour and interest, and boosts the chances of FIFA selling out more stadiums like the 65,000-seat Hard Rock.

“Everyone’s talking about Messi 24/7 every day,” said former Italy striker Christian Vieri, who is an analyst for broadcaster DAZN. “The whole world’s going to be watching the first game and everyone wants to watch Messi, so it’s just going be an incredible night.”

Messi has not just raised the profile of Miami, but also MLS, with clips of his goals shared around the world on social media.

“The league was growing before, but ever since his arrival it’s grown a lot faster. What he’s done for this sport in the States is huge,” said Miami teammate Benjamin Cremaschi.

With him in the team, Miami won the Leagues Cup in 2023 and the Supporters’ Shield last year, setting an MLS record for the most points in a single season.

Optimism in South Florida

And it is the presence of arguably the greatest player of all time, along with other star names like Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, that is driving belief Miami can make a statement over the next month.

“This club has had a short life, but this is the most important competition in the history of our club,” Mascherano said. “It is only normal that a European team should win the competition, but these tournaments can spring a surprise. Why can we not be excited that we can spring a surprise?”

Miami is likely to have to win its opening game to have a real chance of advancing beyond the first stage, with Brazilian giant Palmeiras and Portuguese side Porto also in Group A.

For Messi, the tournament presents him with the unusual experience of being an underdog.

“The expectations I have are different to the ones I had when I played for other teams, but I’m eager and I look forward to competing against the best and doing well,” he said.

Win or lose, Suarez believes Miami’s rapid rise is just the beginning.

“We know how the club is improving now,” Suarez said. “The last two years we’ve had so many people here to see us. We keeping going up and the next two or three years Inter Miami will become bigger and bigger.”

Thirty-two teams will be pushed to their limits over the course of a month, in 12 different locations, until one wins the top spot.

Egyptian club Al-Ahly is the first team to arrive in MIA.

The team will be sharpening their skills ahead of the match in South Florida under recently named head coach José Riveiro.

“So excited happy to be here, representing our club, representing Egypt as well,” said Riveiro. “Ready to build up to the first game. We come in with enough time to have a good adaptation, to have a good preparation for the first match, and that’s the intention.”

“They’re going to be seeing teams from all around the world, different teams that they probably have never seen before,” said Noah Allen, a defender for Inter Miami. “So I think it’s going to be important, and it’s great for the whole club in general. The whole city, honestly, of Miami.”

The club is set to play Inter Miami in the opener next weekend, a team that the club, and the world, is all too familiar with.

“It’s a team full of big names, players that they don’t have so much to say anymore about football, they won everything already. Inter Miami is a big team with so many great players like Messi and Suarez, but we are also a big team,” said Riveiro. “It’s not our first time in the FIFA Club World Cup, and we believe we are already prepared, and we will show how we play against an important team, but we are also important, and we will do our best in the match.”

The coach says his team will bring their best onto the field.

“They come into the tournament with the same expectations than us, go through, go to the next round, and we know for sure we’re going to face extremely competitive players,” said Riveiro. “We’re going to show try to show our character, we’re going to try to show our football as well. It’s a club with a huge tradition.”

A tradition that football fans have been following for generations, including Khalid, a fan who drove all the way from Naples to see the arrival. He said he even played for the club’s handball team.

“I was born in this club; I feel like I’m so happy that the team will be here. This is the biggest event ever, and it’s going to be awesome. Thanks to FIFA that they did this,” said Khalid.

No matter the score at the end of the game, Al-Ahly said they plan on offering stiff competition.

“We’re not going to play the occasion, we’re going to play each and every game with the intention to win, and hopefully we can have a good time here,” said Riveiro.

The opening match of the tournament, pitting Inter Miami against Al-Ahly, kicks off June 14 at Hard Rock Stadium.

Messi scored for the fifth time in three Major League Soccer matches to help Inter Miami rout the Columbus Crew 5-1 on Saturday night for its second straight win.

Messi played a role each of Miami’s goals. He scored twice — in the 15th and 24th minutes — giving him 10 goals this season, which leads his team and is tied for third in MLS. He set up Tadeo Allende’s goal in the 13th, Fafà Picault’s in the 89th and was also involved in Luis Suarez’s score in the 64th.

That makes it two straight matches that the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner has recorded at least two goals and an assist. His 16 goal contributions are the most in the league.

“I see him every game. We see the same thing,” Miami coach Javier Mascherano said through an interpreter. “We try to help him as much as we can. … Clearly he is the best player that has ever played this game. And we have to understand that when he is not brilliant, that’s because one of us is failing. That’s the reality.”

Miami was the more aggressive team early. The Herons had seven shots — four on goal — in the first 25 minutes against a Columbus team that does not give up many. The Crew entered Saturday ranked eighth in MLS with just 19 goals allowed.

Allende opened the scoring with a cross-body finish set up by Messi’s long ball over the top. A few minutes later, Messi took advantage of a poor decision by goalkeeper Nicholas Hagen and lofted the ball over despite the keeper getting a hand on it.

On Messi’s second goal, Sergio Busquets set up his former Barcelona teammate for the second straight game, sending a long pass to a streaking Messi for an easy finish over Hagen.

It was an important win for Miami, which entered Saturday with just two wins in its past eight matches and was sixth in the Eastern Conference. Miami beat Montreal 4-2 on Wednesday, and Saturday’s win over Columbus put last year’s Supporters’ Shield winner in a tie for third place with 29 points in their final match before the start of next month’s Club World Cup.

“Winning this way gives us confidence,” Mascherano said. “It shows that we’re brave and calm and can play against anybody, especially in the MLS. The tournament is another story. The rivals are are different level.”

Miami will face Al Ahly of Egypt on June 14 at Hard Rock Stadium, the home stadium of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins. Before that, Messi will join the Argentina national team for World Cup qualifiers against Chile on June 5 and Colombia on June 10.

Saturday was the second match of the season between Columbus and Miami, winners of the last two League’s Cup tournaments. Inter Miami also beat Columbus to win the Supporters’ Shield in 2024.

They were the only remaining undefeated teams in MLS when they met in front of a record crowd of 60,614 fans to Huntington Bank Field on April 19. It was a single-game record for a Crew home match and the largest non-NFL event in stadium history. Miami won 1-0.

Columbus made it 3-1 when Dylan Chambost’s corner was headed home by Cesar Ruvalcaba against goalkeeper Rocco Ríos Novo, who replaced Oscar Ustari in the second half. Mascherano said Ustari was experiencing discomfort in his leg and the team didn’t want to risk an injury.

Suarez restored Miami’s three-goal lead with his second goal in as many matches. And Messi fed a through ball to Picault in the closing minutes, stamping one of Miami’s most dominant wins of the MLS season.

Miami played without veteran left back Jordi Alba, who suffered a lower-body injury against Montreal on Wednesday.

Messi scored in the 27th and 87th minutes and set up Luis Suárez’s goal with some nice dribbling in the 68th. Suárez added another in the 71st.

The win gave Messi’s Inter Miami team just its second victory in its past eight matches. Miami last won on May 3, going 0-2-2 since then and dropping to sixth in the Eastern Conference.

It has been a surprising plunge for a team that went 22-4-8 during the regular season in 2024 to set MLS records for points (74) and winning percentage (.765) and captured the Supporters Shield — so puzzling that Messi spoke recently of the group’s need to stick together despite the difficulties.

His pep talk seemed to work.

In its last match, Miami rallied from a two-goal deficit to tie Philadelphia, which leads MLS with 10 wins this season. And that momentum carried over against Montreal, which is last in the Eastern Conference with only one win.

“We know in what situation we are (in),” said Miami coach Javier Mascherano. “Sometimes you have to analyze not just the result, you have to analyze the game, how we play. I think in some games we didn’t get the result that we wanted. We deserved it a little bit more, but in (soccer), you don’t deserve, you have to do.”

Messi’s first goal on Wednesday was set up by Sergio Busquets, who delivered a pass to his former Barcelona teammate and set the screen that freed up Messi for his seventh goal of the MLS season.

Messi then linked up with Suárez to give Miami a two-goal cushion midway through the second half, and iced the win on a pass from Suárez just before the end of regulation.

It was a much-needed goal for Suárez, who finished last season tied for the second-most goals in MLS with 20, but had just two entering Wednesday’s match.

It was also the offensive performance Miami needed before it begins Club World Cup play. The Herons have another MLS match at home on Saturday against Columbus before their first contest of the tournament against Al Ahly of Egypt on June 14.

Miami could be without three defenders on Saturday, including veteran left back Jordi Alba, who went down with a lower-body injury in the first half. Mascherano said the team would need to gather more information to find out the extent of the injury.

Gonzalo Luján and Toto Aviles also left with lower-body injuries.

Miami allowed two late Montreal goals by Dante Sealy and Victor Loturi, both lapses that Mascherano was not happy about.

“That is something that is unacceptable,” he said, “that we have to improve.”

Motivational speeches sometimes work.

Messi being Messi almost never fails.

Messi got a rise out of the crowd when he scored on a free kick late in the 87th minute to pull Inter Miami within one and had the assist on Telasco Segovia’s tying goal in the 95th minute, helping Inter Miami rally from a two-goal deficit to tie the Philadelphia Union 3-3 on Saturday night.

Messi, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner and 2022 World Cup champion, scored a crucial goal in his first game since he challenged Inter Miami during a rare television interview to stick together after a loss against Orlando.

Inter Miami stuck together down the stretch to stun the Union.

Messi finally solved 19-year-old Union goalie Andrew Rick late in front of a packed house that came to watch one of soccer’s greats — and also to root on a Union team that came minutes away from its 10th win of the season.

Quinn Sullivan scored the first goal and Tai Baribo added two more to give him 13 this season for the Union. Tadeo Allende scored in the second half to make it 2-1 Inter Miami.

Messi buried a free kick late in the game for his sixth goal of the season that made it 3-2 and seemed like it could spark Inter Miami out of its funk. Segovia took care of the rest for an Inter Miami team that averaged only 1.8 goals over its last 10 games.

“The only way to see the sun is to give everything,” Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano said.

Messi brought out his share of fans in his second career MLS visit to Subaru Park, though the Messi Mania from his 2023 visit was tamped down to Messi Mildness this time. The pregame scene outside the stadium still saw fans in every beer, hot dog and bathroom line in Messi jerseys and T-shirts, ready to root on the World Cup champion from Argentina.

Unlike his first visit, when tickets soared past $1,000 on the secondary market and season-ticket holders gleefully sold their inventory to make a profit on the season, good seats Saturday were still available on the secondary market for less than $100 a pop moments before kickoff.

Messi missed the trip to Chester last season because of international games with Argentina at Copa America.

Messi, who turns 38 in June, received a mix of cheers and boos in his return when he was introduced, then absolutely silenced the Union’s famed Sons of Ben as the seconds ticked down.

Inter Miami needed the boost.

Messi’s team set an MLS record for best regular-season mark a year ago, going 22-4-8 — finishing with the most points and top winning percentage in league history. The four regular-season losses tied a league mark for the fewest in a season.

But this season has looked nothing like last season.

“We’re coming off a period of bad results,” Messi told Apple TV after the Orlando game. “But we have to keep working and think about what’s next. With three or four games left in May, we (have to) finish the best possible way to be able to face the Club World Cup.”

That tournament starts June 14. It’s the next big event on Inter Miami’s calendar — and some games will be played down the road at Lincoln Financial Field, home of the Super Bowl champion Eagles.

Messi did not speak after the Union tie, simply posting a collage of game photos on social media.

The Union extend their unbeaten streak to nine matches in all competitions. The Union are off to their best start to a season through 15 games with 30 points. The club’s previous best was 28 points in 15 matches back in 2020.

Eagles star cornerback Cooper DeJean — who became the first player in Super Bowl history to intercept a pass or score a touchdown on his birthday — struck the ceremonial pregame drum to get the festivities started.

Sullivan, picked to attend the US men’s national team camp next month, and Baribo took it from there, each scoring first-half goals against Miami’s Oscar Ustari to keep the good times rolling for the hottest team in MLS.

Because of Messi, they wouldn’t last.

“We showed our character, our personality,” Mascherano said.

Orlando City (6-2-6) has not lost since it dropped a 2-1 decision to New York City FC on March 8.

Pedro Gallese finished with four saves for his sixth shutout of the season and had the second assist of his five-plus year career in MLS.

Luis Muriel opened the scoring in the 43rd minute. Gallese played a perfectly-placed ball ahead from the edge of Orlando’s penalty area to a streaking Muriel, who slipped behind the defense, in the attacking third before his rolling finish from the right-center of the area made it 1-0 at halftime.

Pašalić scored on a first-touch shot from near the penalty spot to give Orlando a 2-0 lead in the 53rd.

Dagur Thorhallsson capped the scoring in the fourth minute of stoppage time, putting away a cross from Duncan McGuire with a one-touch shot from point-blank range.

Oscar Ustari had five saves for for Miami (6-5-2). Luis Suárez returned from a two-game absence (personal reasons).

Miami had 62% possession and outshot Orlando 21-16.

Alba has signed a contract extension with Inter Miami, one that has him committed to be with the Major League Soccer club through the end of the 2027 season. He played alongside Messi for nine seasons with Barcelona and they’re in their third season together with Inter Miami — both arriving during the team’s 2023 campaign.

Messi has an option for next season — when Inter Miami plans to move into its new, long-awaited stadium near Miami International Airport — and the sides have been working on a deal for some time, but no official commitment has been announced yet.

“I’m happy to renew my contract because I have the desire to continue competing, and because of how I feel at the club, with the affection I receive from fans at every match. I’ve been very comfortable these past two years at the club, and I feel very loved by all the fans,” Alba said. “We have that desire to continue competing, to continue winning, and, hopefully, win as many titles as possible.”

Alba, a left back, had five goals and 15 assists while earning an All-Star selection during the MLS season a year ago, including playoffs. He helped Inter Miami win the Supporters’ Shield and break the MLS single-season points record by a team.

The 36-year-old Alba came to Inter Miami not long after Messi announced he was headed there in June 2023. Messi’s arrival led to Sergio Busquets, Luis Suárez and Alba — all teammates in Barcelona — joining MLS.

Alba helped Barcelona win six La Liga titles, five Copa del Rey trophies and the Champions League in 2015.

The Inter Miami star, eight-time Ballon d’Or winner and World Cup champion announced Tuesday that he will unveil his favorite goal on May 22. A depiction of that goal will then be turned into a work of art that will be auctioned off for charity.

Messi has plenty of options to choose from: He’s scored more than 800 goals for club and country over his long career with Argentina, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Miami.

Messi and the artist, Refik Anadol, will both sign the art piece, which will be unveiled in New York by auction house Christie’s on June 11.

“Choosing just one goal out of them all is very difficult,” Messi said. “Each one is special in its own way, and some are really important or bring back incredible memories. But highlighting one as a favorite for the first time, to make this unique project possible is worth it. There’s a strong purpose behind it, and I’m really happy to be part of it.”

The auction will close on July 25.

Minnesota (6-2-4), which beat Austin 3-0 last time out to snap a three-game winless skid, has won back-to-back games.

Hlongwane scored his first goal of the season to give Minnesota a 1-0 lead in the 32nd minute. Hlongwane, who scored a career-high 11 goal last season, slipped behind the defense and perfectly timed his run onto a ball played ahead by Carlos Harvey for a one-touch finish inside the back post from the right corner of the 6-yard box.

Markanich made it 2-0 when he scored in first-half stoppage time, his second goal in as many games and the third of his four-year MLS career. Michael Boxall played a long throw-in to the near post, where Nicolás Romero flicked a header backward to Markanich, who put away a header from point-blank range. It was the first career assist for Romero, a 21-year-old in his first MLS season.

Lionel Messi scored in the 48th minute, when he rolled a shot from the left-center of the area past the outstretched arm of diving goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair inside the back post.

Luis Suárez (personal reasons) did not play for Miami.

An own goal by Miami’s Marcelo Weigandt made it 3-1 in the 68th and Robin Lod ran onto a pass from Tani Oluwaseyi and put away a one-touch finish — his first goal of the season — to cap the scoring in the 70th minute.

Miami (6-2-3) beat the New York Red Bulls 4-1 last time out to rebound from its first loss of the season, 4-3 defeat to Dallas at home on April 27.

Miami beat Minnesota 2-1 at home in June of 2022 in the only other meeting between the clubs.

Inter Miami (6-1-3) rebounded from a 4-3 loss to Dallas that snapped its eight-game unbeaten streak to open the season.

Messi capped the scoring in the 67th minute. After four consecutive to or from Messi and Telasco Segovia, Messi used his right hip to hold off defender Noah Eile and then calmly slammed home a left-footer from the center of the area.

Picault scored to give Miami a 1-0 lead in the ninth minute. After two failed clearances by the Red Bulls, Marcelo Weigandt played an arcing ball-in from the right side that was redirected near post when Luis Suárez flicked a headed to the back post and Picault put away a half-volley.

Weigandt scored in the 30th and Luis Suárez added a goal — his first since March 2 — in the 39th minute to give Miami a 3-0 lead.

Mohammed Sofo put away a corner kick for the Red Bulls (4-4-3) played in by Omar Valencia — going up high at the back post and somehow heading it back inside the front post — to make it 3-1 in the 43rd.

Weigandt, from point-blank range, tapped in the putback of his own shot to make it 2-0 in the 30th.

Suárez put away his own rebound to give Miami a 3-0 lead. Tadeo Allende rolled a cross to Suárez for a one-touch shot from center of the area that was blocked by defender Kyle Duncan, but Suárez was there for the finish for the left corner of the 6-yard box.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and veteran NFL wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (currently a free agent) were in attendance.

Sebastian Berhalter also scored for Vancouver, which advanced with a 5-1 aggregate to face either Cruz Azul or Tigres UNAL in the Champions Cup final on June 1.

Miami entered Wednesday’s match trailing 0-2 in aggregate after being shut out in the first leg last Thursday. That meant they needed to win by at least three goals in regulation on Wednesday to advance.

Messi was held without a goal for the fourth straight match.

In the tournament’s history, four MLS clubs, including Inter Miami last week, have lost the first leg of a semifinal by a 2-0 on the road. No team has come back to advance to the final.

Those chances were dashed quickly in the second half Wednesday, when Vancouver erased a one-goal deficit minutes into the frame.

Berhalter found White for the equalizer in the 51st minute and Vite sent a deflection past Oscar Ustari in the 53rd. Berhalter, who had an assist on the first two goals, put the game away with a shot from the center of the box into the bottom left corner in the 71st.

Berhalter has accounted for all five of the Whitecaps’ goals in the semis after scoring one in the opener, but he will miss the championship because of yellow card accumulation. He was shown one in the first half after a foul on Miami’s Tadeo Allende.

Jordi Alba got Miami on the board with his first goal of the season nine minutes into the game on a feed from Luis Suarez. Miami couldn’t capitalize on a series of chances after that.

Miami also dropped its third straight match, the first time the team has lost that many in a row in the Messi era.