On the penultimate matchday of the regular season, Inter Miami secured a clear home win in the MLS: However, the 4-1 victory over New England Revolution presented an unusual picture – Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba swapped roles.
Miami left little doubt about the outcome of their 17th win in 32 games this season even before the break. The opening goal came in the 32nd minute, when Messi quickly opened up space and passed to his compatriot Allende on the right side of the penalty area, who coolly slotted the ball into the far corner.
The 2-0 also came before the break thanks to the interplay between Jordi Alba and Messi. However, it was not as we usually saw in Barcelona, when Jordi Alba set up many goals for Messi from the baseline. This time, it was Messi who, after a major blunder by the visitors in their penalty area, crossed the ball with great vision. Jordi Alba stumbled the ball halfway into the far corner (45+3). Shortly before that, a goal by Messi had been disallowed for offside – Jordi Alba would have been the provider (45).
After the break, Messi had another chance to score, but after a strong through ball from Sergio Busquets, he shot wide of the left post (54′). Five minutes later, Turgeman briefly caused some excitement with a precise shot into the right corner (59′). Very briefly: Messi added his third assist in the immediate counterattack, and Allende scored his second goal (60′).
Jordi Alba then celebrated his second goal, but for the first time that evening, it was not Messi who set it up, but Segovia (63′).
Messi leads the scoring charts with an impressive 24 goals and 17 assists. In the Eastern Conference, Miami moved up to third place.
Philadelphia celebrates the Supporters Shield
Elsewhere, Philadelphia secured the title of best team in the regular season – the Supporters Shield – ahead of schedule. A 1-0 win over New York City FC was enough to ensure that, with only one game remaining, they cannot be displaced from the top of the table. Remarkably, Philadelphia completely missed out on the playoffs last season.