Soccer <\/p>\n
If the other 28 teams in MLS weren\u2019t watching Sunday Night Soccer presented by Continental Tire, we have no choice but to inform them that Lionel Andr\u00e9s Messi<\/a> is back at it again for Inter Miami CF<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The Argentine legend returned to the starting lineup for the first time since Feb. 25 and looked up for it and then some, scoring the equalizer off a turnover he created as the Herons rallied from an early deficit to beat Atlanta United<\/a> 2-1<\/a> in front of a raucous crowd of 42,843 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.<\/p>\n \u201cLeo\u2019s is a goal that only he can do,\u201d Herons coach Javier Mascherano said in Spanish postgame. \u201cHe is the best player in history. You can’t say anything else. A player who has the capacity to make the most beautiful goals that you\u2019re going to see.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The victory extends Miami\u2019s unbeaten start to eight matches across league and Concacaf Champions Cup<\/a> play, and seems to signal Messi\u2019s return to form after sitting out three games for what was vaguely termed \u2018load management.\u2019<\/p>\n ATLUTD were the stronger side out of the gates and deservingly surged in front after 11 minutes via MLS-record signing Emmanuel Latte Lath<\/a>\u2019s third goal of the season. But the visitors adapted and rallied, Messi setting the tone by stripping Bartosz Slisz<\/a> at the top of Atlanta\u2019s penalty box and coolly chipping Brad Guzan<\/a> mere minutes later for his fourth goal of 2025 across all competitions.<\/p>\n If this was an acid test for Atlanta’s lavishly-funded offseason overhaul, Messi & Friends confirmed to head coach Ronny Deila and his group that the project is not yet fully baked.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was an even game, when you see expected goals and touches inside the 16 opportunities, but their chances were more clean-cut chances,\u201d lamented Deila. \u201cAlso, of course, you talk about one of the best players in the world, maybe the best, still \u2013 he\u2019s unbelievable.<\/p>\n \u201cThe first goal, we lose the ball in a very bad situation, the best player in the world, and you have a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u2014 Major League Soccer (@MLS) March 16, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n That game-changing moment was a startling flash of bite from a player so often described over the years as disinterested in his defensive duties. Messi would finish the match with five miles of distance covered and 7\/11 duels won in addition to his 70 touches of the ball. Was there something extra in his tank to attain a measure of revenge for the Five Stripes\u2019 historic upset of Miami in last year\u2019s Audi MLS Cup Playoffs?<\/p>\n Mascherano pumped the brakes on that, but perhaps not altogether convincingly.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, not a revenge, not a rematch, not a grudge match,\u201d said the first-year boss, calling this year a \u201ccompletely different\u201d context for a younger, perhaps hungrier IMCF. \u201cIn soccer, you get new opportunities. So what happened, happened, and you can’t go back.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a long tournament, and we are not anywhere near the end. I am one of these people that, just because we began, I don’t believe that we’re done,\u201d noted Mascherano in regards to his team\u2019s strong start, adding their upcoming bye weekend during the FIFA international window is well-timed to allow some of his group time for rest and recovery. \u201cWe have to be on our guard, and we can’t be relaxing. And of course, we have to enjoy the moment, but it is just the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Indeed, the conversation might be different had Atlanta made slightly fewer errors on the night.<\/p>\n No one would be surprised at the sight of Messi punching back. What may prove almost as vital in the long run were the timing and source of Miami\u2019s second goal: Faf\u00e0 Picault<\/a>, who came off the bench to head home a last-minute winner after missing a few weeks to a hamstring injury.<\/p>\n The sequence transpired so quickly that even the MLS Season Pass broadcast nearly missed it. Jordi Alba<\/a> was given too much space along the left touchline after Miami played a short corner kick, allowing the Spaniard to curl a looping cross to the far post. Picault, all 5-feet-8 of him, nodded an uncontested header that slipped past Guzan \u2013 who seemed to pull his hands away at the last second, perhaps thinking his teammate Derrick Williams<\/a> would clear the ball away \u2013 and into the net.<\/p>\n \u201cThe bad part, I think, is how we can concede that last goal. That is too easy because they [Miami] have three, four guys in the box and I think they are satisfied with that draw and then they get something out of nothing. That\u2019s hard to swallow,\u201d said Deila.<\/p>\n \u201cWe play against a team that hasn\u2019t lost this year and had the most points in the league, so I don\u2019t see that it\u2019s a frightening difference between us. That\u2019s the good thing. But in the end, we gave them too many easy chances.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Atlanta\u2019s frustration mirrored Miami\u2019s elation. It\u2019s not the first time an IMCF adversary has ruefully let the Rosanegra slip off the hook via their own self-inflicted wounds, and most likely, it won\u2019t be the last.<\/p>\n \u201cThe desire,\u201d Picault told MLS Season Pass sideline reporter Andrew Wiebe when asked what makes this Miami squad special.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a lot of heart. I think you have big-name players, but they’re here for the grind, and you can see that in small plays and over games like this. And then you have a young group that\u2019s motivated and everybody wants to show themselves. And I think more than anything, we’re very united. We all have the same goal and that’s to win, and I think that’s important.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n