Lionel Messi got his interim coach Guillermo Hoyos off to a perfect start. In front of the second-largest crowd in MLS history, the Argentine scored a brace to lead Inter Miami to a 3:2 victory over Colorado Rapids.
In the first game since the surprising retirement of Javier Mascherano, who had led Inter Miami to the MLS title in the previous season, Lionel Messi was once again the man to beat with goals number six and seven. The Argentine world champion scored a brace to give his club their fourth win of the young season. Miami won 3:2 at the Colorado Rapids and jumped to second place in the Eastern Conference table.
In the debut of interim coach Guillermo Hoyos, previously active in youth development and as the club’s sporting director, Messi first converted a penalty (18th minute). When it looked like a draw in the closing stages, he scored the winner after a remarkable individual move. After Colorado lost possession in midfield, he cut inside on the right-hand corner of the penalty area and curled the ball between two defenders into the far corner.
“We have the greatest player in history, someone who can completely turn the momentum of a game,” said Hoyos afterwards, delighted with Messi’s masterstroke. The 63-year-old has long been considered Messi’s confidant. Hoyos coached FC Barcelona’s second team for four years and was one of Messi’s discoverers during this time.
Second largest crowd in the history of the MLS
Due to the huge interest, the game was moved to the Denver Broncos’ NFL stadium. The Rapids normally play their home games in a much smaller stadium in Commerce City, north of Denver. The game against Miami was attended by 75,824 spectators, the second largest crowd in MLS history. Only the city derby between the Los Angeles Galaxy and Los Angeles FC in July 2023 had attracted more fans (82,110) to the stadium.
The inglorious end to the match was the red card for Inter midfielder Yannick Bright in the 87th minute. As the Professional Referee Organization, which is responsible for referees in the MLS, confirmed to ESPN, Bright had made “insulting, offensive and abusive remarks that the referee heard.”
