Lionel Messi started Inter Miami’s MLS playoff run with a strong performance, scoring two goals and setting up another to help the team beat Nashville SC 3-1 in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference first-round series on Friday night. The result gives Inter Miami two chances to get past the first round for the first time in Messi’s two and a half years with the team.
There was a celebration before the beginning of the game as MLS Commissioner Don Garber gave Messi the Golden Boot trophy for being the league’s top goal scorer during the regular season. Messi then showed his class right away by scoring in the 19th minute with a remarkable diving header after getting past the defense.
He helped Inter Miami score their second goal in the 62nd minute. Messi started the play by passing to Ian Fray on the right wing. Fray’s chip found Tadeo Allende, who scored with a header. In the 96th minute, during stoppage time, Messi scored the last goal by tapping in a deflected ball from close range to make it 3-0. In the 101st minute, Hany Mukhtar scored a late consolation goal for Nashville with a free kick. That was the last play of the game.
A Legacy Changing the League’s Path
The win came just one day after Inter Miami revealed that Messi would be staying with the team for three more years. MLS Commissioner Don Garber praised the move. Garber complimented Messi’s huge effect on the league, saying, “I don’t think we ever could have imagined that Leo would have been able to deliver for this club, this city, and this league the way he has.” You know, he changed the course of Major League Soccer, and we were already doing quite well. Messi might still be playing in his early 40s because of the extension.
Messi’s impact has been huge: MLS ticket sales hit an all-time high this year, Inter Miami’s worth has reportedly risen to nearly $1.2 billion, and Messi has been the league’s top jersey seller every year since he joined in the middle of 2023. Garber called the star the “unicorn of unicorns” because he was so focused and wanted to win.
Regular season record and MVP Hope
Messi won the Golden Boot title recently following a great regular season in which he scored 29 goals (five more than his closest rivals) and set up 19 more. He scored 48 goals, which is one less than the MLS record of 49 established by Carlos Vela in 2019.
Messi won the league’s MVP title last year, and he is by far the most likely player to win it again this year. If he does, he will be the first player in MLS history to win it two years in a row. (Preki won the award in 1997 and 2003).
Inter Miami’s next playoff game, Game 2, will be at Nashville on November 1st. If necessary, Game 3 will go back to Fort Lauderdale on November 8th.