Lionel Messi and Inter Miami have another trophy, as well as home field advantage in all Major League Soccer playoffs.
Messi scored two goals in the last minutes of the first half, goalkeeper Drake Callender stands penalty in the 84th minute and Inter Miami beat defending MLS Cup champion Columbus Crew 3-2 on Wednesday night, clinching the Supporters Shield awarded annually to the team with the best regular season record.
It was Messi’s 46th major trophy won for club or country, extending his record by more than any other male soccer player in history. And for the second time he won with Inter Miami, this Supporters Shield was added to the League Cup trophy the Herons claimed shortly after Messi joined the club in 2023.
“We knew that this is a team that can fight for this,” said Messi.
Luis Suárez also scored against Inter Miami, who will open the best-of-three playoff series on the last weekend of October. If the team wins that series, it will have the right to host every game it plays for the rest of the season – the Eastern Conference semifinals (scheduled for Nov. 23 or 24), the Eastern Conference final (Nov. 30 or Dec. 1) and the MLS Cup final on Dec. 7. .
“We have a great chance to go down in history … and now we’re thinking about the future,” Messi told Apple TV after the game. “We are very happy that we are playing all the games at home, which is what we were looking for. I think we are very strong at home.”
And it’s still within reach of Inter Miami: the best MLS regular season sign ever. Wednesday’s win pushed Inter Miami’s record to 20-4-8 this season, giving them 68 points. If the club wins its last two games — Saturday at Toronto and Oct. 19 at home against New England — it will finish with 74 points.
New England holds the record for points in a single season, finishing with 73 in 2021.
And about five minutes into first half stoppage time, Messi also scored a free kick from about 30 yards. Schulte looked foolish, and Messi squeezed the ball between the goalkeeper and the near post for a 2-0 lead.
“It’s strong,” Inter Miami coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino said.
Diego Rossi scored in the first minute of the second half as Columbus pulled one back, but it didn’t take long for Inter Miami to regain the two-goal cushion. Almost immediately after the restart, Schulte was lifted by one of his defenders again Suarez headed into an empty net for 3-1.
Juan “Cucho” Hernández’s penalty in the 61st minute got Columbus up 3-2. But again, the momentum didn’t last long. Rudy Camacho was sent off with a second yellow card in the 63rd minute, meaning the Crew had to play with ten men left.
It didn’t matter. Columbus still created some big chances down the stretch.
A deflected ball in the 76th minute fell into the box and onto the right foot of Mohamed Farsi – but his shot was blocked by Callender, who was perfectly positioned to protect the lead.
Then came more drama, when Inter Miami were called for their second handball inside the box – an automatic penalty kick – of the second half. Hernández picked the left side of the net, but Callender made the save look easy.
That save helped finish what Messi started.
It was the fifth double-goal game of the MLS season for Messi, who now has 17 goals in 17 league games this season. He missed 15 MLS matches for Inter Miami in 2024, either because of a commitment to Argentina’s national team or the two-month absence he needed to recover from a badly injured ankle – an injury that occurred during his country’s Copa America run. July.
Inter Miami, in MLS play this season, is now 10-1-6 with Messi in the lineup.
“Throughout the year we had many, many injuries, where we could not be together… but the team benefited a lot from all the difficult games,” said Messi.
The Crew and LA Galaxy went into Wednesday hoping to leapfrog Inter Miami in the Supporters Shield race, with Cincinnati adrift with nine points to spare.
But now, they are all playing for the second time.
“December 7 is what we want,” said Martino, referring to the day of the MLS Cup final. “But this is not a small thing today.”
Columbus vs. Inter Miami CF Highlights | MLS on FOX
It is reported by the Associated Press.
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