Soccer
MLS After Dark came early on Sunday night, as Inter Miami CF erupted for a 6-4 win over the Philadelphia Union in an electrifying game at Nu Stadium.
The combined 10 goals tied for the second-most in an MLS match, only surpassed by the LA Galaxy‘s 7-4 win over the Colorado Rapids in May 1998 (11 total).
The back-and-forth thriller started with eight first-half goals, then calmed down with two second-half strikes from the defending MLS Cup presented by Audi champions to seal their second win at their new ground.
Don’t blink
Miami fans could have been forgiven for expecting a simpler match against Philadelphia. The 2025 MLS Supporters’ Shield champions have struggled this year and are last in the overall table with just seven points (1W-10L-4D).
But Bradley Carnell’s side showed no fear when traveling to South Florida, as Milan Iloski netted a hat trick and Bruno Damiani punched home a near-range finish – all before halftime.
The Herons had to overcome an early 2-0 hole, and ultimately rattled off a Luis Suárez hat trick, a Germán Berterame brace and a late insurance strike by Rodrigo De Paul.
At the 2026 FIFA World Cup pause, Miami are now two points behind Supporters’ Shield leaders Nashville SC and have scored a league-best 39 goals.
They’ll return to league action on July 22 vs. Chicago Fire FC (7:30 pm ET | Apple TV).
6-4 thriller! One of the craziest MLS games of all time! 🤯
▪️ Highest scoring first half ever (4-4)
▪️ Second most goals in a game (10)
▪️ Hat tricks from Milan Iloski and Luis Suarez pic.twitter.com/iit666kFao— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 25, 2026
Messi fatigue
Amid all the highlights, Inter Miami were dealt a scare when Lionel Messi exited in the 73rd minute with muscular fatigue and load management.
Messi’s early substitution comes before he’s expected to captain Argentina at this summer’s World Cup.
Just over three weeks remain until Argentina’s World Cup opener on June 16 vs. Algeria. In Group J, the three-time World Cup champions will also face Austria (June 22) and Jordan (June 27).
Messi led La Albiceleste to the 2022 World Cup title and is approaching 200 caps for his country. He has appeared in a record 26 World Cup matches while producing 13g/8a.
This MLS season, the back-to-back Landon Donovan MLS MVP has a league-best 20 goal contributions (12g/8a) through 14 matches.
Read MoreChristeen Damron