Another outstanding performance by Lionel Messi leads Inter Miami to another MLS victory. A German player also makes his mark.
Lionel Messi is in brilliant form just a few weeks before the start of the World Cup. Led by the eight-time World Player of the Year, Inter Miami won its Major League Soccer home game against the Portland Timbers 2-0 (2-0). It was the Florida team’s third straight win.
Messi scored the first goal himself (31st minute) and set up the 2-0 goal by German Berterame (42nd minute). In 13 games this season, the 38-year-old has already tallied twelve goals and five assists. Only Belgium’s Hugo Cuypers of Chicago Fire has scored more goals than the Argentine superstar. Croatia’s Petar Musa (FC Dallas) is tied with Messi.
Miami sits in second place in the Eastern Conference with 28 points, two points behind Nashville SC.
Mukhtar scores a hat trick for Nashville
Meanwhile, Nashville secured another victory thanks to a stellar performance by former Bundesliga pro Hany Mukhtar. In the 3-2 (2-1) win over Los Angeles FC, the Berlin-born player scored all three of his team’s goals. The former Hertha BSC pro, who was named MLS MVP in 2022, now has six goals this season.
For L.A., the team of Heung-Min Son, it was their third consecutive loss. There is one more matchday remaining in the MLS before the league takes a break for the World Cup in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada (starting June 11).
