Lionel Messi entered as a substitute in the 60th minute and scored his first MLS goal in spectacular fashion in the 89th to seal Inter Miami's 2-0 win over the host New York Red Bulls in front of a raucous crowd in Harrison, N.J., on Saturday night. And, boy, was this Messi MLS debut goal a doozy.
Ticket prices are soaring in Harrison, N.J., and not because the New York Red Bulls are inching closer in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
With Lionel Messi on the other side of the pitch for his anticipated MLS regular-season debut with Inter Miami, the host Red Bulls are out to keep their focus and improve their place in the standings Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Messi won a club-record 34 trophies for Barcelona in Spain's LaLiga, and already has a Leagues Cup title with Inter Miami, though it is possible that the 36-year-old could enter as a substitute Saturday.
Lionel Messi did it again Saturday night with a spectacular goal vs. Nashville SC in the Leagues Cup final as Inter Miami won 10-9 on penalty kicks after drawing 1-1 after 90 minutes.
United States men’s national team fans could only watch on in horror as our beautiful defensive prince Walker Zimmerman was torn to shreds along with the rest of the Nashville defense in the 23rd minute.
Up until that point Nashville had nullified the Messi effect. The Argentine had touched the ball only a handful of times and had no impact on the game yet.
Lionel Messi has won just about everything there is to win in soccer but said on Thursday that bringing Inter Miami their first ever trophy would be "incredible" and "a beautiful thing".
Languishing at the bottom of Major League Soccer's Eastern Conference standings there had been nothing pretty about Inter Miami's season until Messi's arrival in South Florida last month.
But now things could not look any brighter.
The best defender in Major League Soccer isn’t one of the players, it’s the Lionel Messi bodyguard. If you want to see some of the best defense in your life, then you got to see this guy in action.
Messi is the biggest and most famous athlete playing in the United States and has already had a massive impact on MLS numbers and ticket prices. Inter Miami wisely hired a personal bodyguard for Messi.
Inter Miami, the worst team in the MLS standings, put on another dominant Leagues Cup performance on Tuesday with Lionel Messi scoring again as the Herons secured a 4-1 victory against giants Philadelphia Union at Subaru Park.
The victory sees Inter Miami advance to the Leagues Cup final vs. the winner of Nashville/Monterrey on Saturday, Aug. 19. If Monterrey wins then Miami will host the final, if Nashville win, they will host the final.
Lionel Messi's transfer to Inter Miami has set MLS on a path to the stars. Literally. And the Magic Messi effect on MLS is just getting started.
Lionel Messi appeared to tweak his left ankle during a training session Monday, but the Inter Miami standout is not expected to miss Tuesday's League Cup semifinal on the road against the Philadelphia Union.
Video from ESPN's Spanish-language affiliate showed Messi as he appeared to roll his left ankle in a close-quarters passing drill. He stepped gingerly on his left foot for a few moments but returned to the drill.
Lionel Messi’s game-tying free kick vs. FC Dallas on Sunday in the Leagues Cup was an insane moment. A new video angle prior to the kick shows that Messi was a little sneaky when he was setting up to take the shot.
While the referee had his back turned the Argentine ever so subtly moved the ball closer to the middle of the field to get a better angle for the shot.
Monterrey will be playing in the quarter-finals of the Leagues Cup against LAFC this Friday and they are, along with Querétaro, the only Liga MX teams qualified for the next round of the tournament.
✅ Round of 32
✅ Round of 16
Quarterfinals pic.twitter.com/5mphS4X2LR— Leagues Cup (@LeaguesCup) August 9, 2023