Inter Miami and Lionel Messi kicked off their Major League Soccer season with a dramatic 2-2 draw against New York City FC on Saturday, despite playing most of the match with 10 men.
Miami, who set a regular-season points record last year before an early playoff exit, faced adversity after Argentine defender Tomás Avilés received a straight red card in the 23rd minute. Messi, however, proved to be the game-changer, assisting both Miami goals, including a stoppage-time equalizer.
A Promising Start Turns Sour
With newly appointed head coach Javier Mascherano at the helm, Inter Miami introduced several new faces but struggled for cohesion throughout the match. The night started perfectly for Miami as Messi set up Avilés to score in the fifth minute.
The game took a turn when offseason signing Fafa Picault suffered a muscle injury just minutes later, forcing an early substitution. Then, Avilés’ dismissal for a foul on Alonso Martínez shifted momentum firmly in New York’s favor. From the resulting free-kick, Maxi Moralez found Mitja Ilenič unmarked, and the Slovenian buried the equalizer.
Defensive Struggles and Costly Errors
With a makeshift central defense of Noah Allen and Ian Fray, Miami struggled to contain NYCFC’s attacks. New York capitalized on a costly mistake in the 55th minute when veteran left-back Jordi Alba misplaced a pass straight to Martínez, who calmly slotted past Oscar Ustari to give NYCFC the lead.
Messi found little support in attack, especially from an ineffective Luis Suárez, who was substituted shortly after New York’s second goal. Despite a solid save from NYCFC’s Matt Freese on a Messi free-kick, Miami seemed destined for defeat.
Messi’s Late Heroics
As the clock ticked into the 10th minute of stoppage time, Messi once again showcased his brilliance. The Argentine maestro threaded a precise through-ball to Venezuelan midfielder Telasco Segovia, who chipped over Freese to secure a dramatic late equalizer.
“He’s the soul of this team,” Mascherano said of Messi. “It’s not just what he does on the pitch but how he lifts his teammates.”
Notable MLS Results
Elsewhere in MLS action, Emmanuel Latte Lath made an instant impact for Atlanta United, scoring twice in a 3-2 win over Montreal. Philadelphia Union, under new coach Bradley Carnell, stunned Orlando City 4-2, with Israeli forward Tai Baribo netting a brace.
Cincinnati’s $16 million signing, Kevin Denkey, marked his debut with a goal in their 1-0 win over the New York Red Bulls, while Diego Rossi scored twice to propel Columbus Crew to a 4-2 victory over Chicago Fire.
Reigning champions Los Angeles Galaxy will host expansion side San Diego FC on Sunday, rounding out an exciting opening weekend of MLS action.
