Chase Stadium – The Leo Messi MLS return was nothing short of spectacular, with a brace and an assist guiding Inter Miami CF to a 3-1 victory over the Philadelphia Union. Mikael Uhre scored an early goal for Philly surprising the home crowd, but Miami mounted a stellar comeback to garner three more points for their Supporters’ Shield tally.
Starting XI
Lionel Messi was back in the starting lineup for Miami for the first time since June 1st lining up at forward with fellow legend Luis Suarez. Sergio, Busquets, Diego Gomez, and Federico Redondo rounded out the midfield three, with Jordi Alba and Julian Gressel as wingbacks. David Martinez, Tomas Aviles, and Marcelo Weigandt made up the backline trio. Drake Callender was the starting goalkeeper for Miami.
The GOAT 🐐 Lionel #Messi𓃵 is back in the Starting XI for #InterMiamiCF …His first #MLS game for the Herons since June 1 🆚 St. Louis… pic.twitter.com/4PConX3C10
— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) September 14, 2024
Match Action
The fanbase was settling into their seats when Mikael Uhre controlled a ball that Tomas Aviles headed out, he faked David Martinez out of his shorts and blasted a left-footed shot past Drake Callender into the Miami net for the Philly 1-0 lead less than two minutes into the match.
Mikael Uhre puts Philly on top 0-1 two minutes into the match…Nice fake & then puts it to rest into the #InterMiamiCF goal…Welcome back #Messi #MLS
— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) September 14, 2024
The strong Philly start and an injury to the starting left center-back David Martinez in the 15th minute put Miami in a pickle early. Then Messi appeared, like a flash of lightning to revert the story. Lionel Messi and his favorite sidekick Luis Suarez put together a beautiful combination of short touches that Messi finished with his right foot to tie the match at 1-1 in the 26th minute.
HAD TO BE HIM!! 🐐 pic.twitter.com/GgdoFHFgzu
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) September 15, 2024
The goal sparked Inter Miami to life as Messi put Miami ahead 2-1 four minutes later with a fling of his magical left foot. Another brilliant sequence led to a Jordi Alba cross into the box that culminated in the go-ahead goal.
MESSI! MESSI! MESSI! He does it again! Another beautiful sequence by #InterMiamiCF & the GOAT 🐐 scores his second to put the Herons on top 2-1 in the 30th minute…
— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) September 15, 2024
The teams went into the half with Inter Miami on top 2-1. The rest of the match would be a continuous back-and-forth where Philly had ample opportunities to tie but Super Drake Callender came up big for Miami putting out all the fires. Only late in stoppage time did Inter Miami manage to ice the match with a Luis Suarez goal. Lionel Messi cradled a pass and put the ball to sleep at his feet, then he served Suarez a perfect pass that “El Pistolero” banged in for the final 3-1 scoreline.
Lionel #Messi𓃵 puts the ball ⚽️ to sleep with his left-foot & lays it off for Luis Suarez who slings it in for the 3-1 #InterMiamiCF final score line…#MLS
— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) September 15, 2024
Inter Miami secured the three points at home against a scrappy Philadelphia Union squad that came ready to play.
Postgame
Noah Allen came onto the pitch in the 15th minute for an injured David Martinez with Miami down 0-1 on the scoreboard. Allen barely had any chance to warm up before he was thrust into the match. Noah responded superbly putting on a masterful performance before he too had to leave the match with a head injury. I asked Tata to talk about Allen and for a status update on his injury,
I asked Tata Martino about Noah Allen’s match 🆚 Philly,
“He has this characteristic, he’s always ready always prepared whether he’s starting or coming off the bench like today…He suffered a blow to the head & is trying to recover.”#InterMiamiCF #MLS pic.twitter.com/CwQsCOIOsQ
— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) September 15, 2024
Final Thoughts
The return of the king, Lionel Messi, was a spectacular one. A full house saw his majesty bag a brace and dish out an assist upon his return to the pitch after a lengthy absence. His performance earned him the” Icon of the Match” recognition. He’s truly one of a kind.
Yannick Bright did not start the match for Inter Miami, and early on it was evident that his skillset was greatly missed. Already one of the best defensive midfielders in MLS, Tata needs to find a way to keep Yannick on the pitch for Miami.
Noah Allen is a soldier. He performs no matter the mission he is given. Saturday night he had a major mission after coming on for the injured David Martinez, who played brilliantly for Miami. Noah did not disappoint, putting in perhaps his best performance as a Heron.
Lionel Messi is still in the “Golden Boot” race for MLS despite missing a large amount of games due to call-ups or injuries. He could also possibly become the team’s all-time leading goal scorer with only about a third of the number of games of the current leader, Leo Campana. Messi makes the extraordinary look easy.
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