Soccer
It didn’t take long for Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF to avenge their Leagues Cup 2025 heartbreak.
Just over two weeks after falling 3-0 at Seattle Sounders FC in the tournament’s title match, the Herons gave the Rave Green a taste of their own medicine Tuesday night at Chase Stadium, with Messi posting 1g/1a to lead a 3-1 victory.
The result snapped a two-game winless streak across all competitions for Miami, bumping them up to fifth place in the Eastern Conference with 49 points and games in hand on all four teams above them in the standings.
Get-right result
For head coach Javier Mascherano, the significance of his team’s impressive showing goes way beyond three points – especially after their Leagues Cup disappointment and subsequent 3-0 loss at Charlotte FC over the weekend.
“It was important,” he told reporters, “… to get good feelings back and get back to winning against a great opponent that prevented us from winning a competition a few weeks ago.
“I think we understood the best way possible, and we played the game we needed to play.”
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) September 17, 2025
Messi magic
Messi also had a redemptive performance of sorts. After two straight games without a goal contribution, the superstar No. 10 returned to form, first by assisting on Jordi Alba‘s 12th-minute opening strike before the fellow FC Barcelona legend returned the favor four minutes before halftime.
The goal was Messi’s 20th of the season, moving him one shy of Golden Boot presented by Audi leader Sam Surridge. Additionally, he became the fifth player in MLS history to record back-to-back 20-goal seasons, following his 20g/16a output during his 2024 Landon Donovan MLS MVP-winning campaign.
Ian Fray scored Miami’s third early in the second half, giving them a comfortable cushion before Obed Vargas spoiled the clean sheet for goalkeeper Óscar Ustari in the 69th minute.
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) September 17, 2025
Shield within reach?
While far from perfect, the outing gave the Herons a huge confidence boost ahead of their final seven games of the regular season.
For Mascherano, there are more than enough points available to make a run at a repeat Supporters’ Shield win, following Miami’s record-setting 74-point haul in 2024.
“We won one game tonight. We have seven left. We have seven finals left,” Mascherano said. “Our objective is to win all seven games and finish first.
“… That’s our objective, and we’ll take it game by game.”
Read MoreAnthony Schroeder