Tristan Muyumba and Brooks Lennon each scored first-half goals as Atlanta United also took advantage of an own goal to earn an impressive 5-2 victory Saturday over victory Inter Miami, who were without Lionel Messi. Despite the loss, Leonardo Campana's sombrero flick to goal combination in the first half to open the scoring was an absolute masterclass. Check it out below.
Lionel Messi has been suspended for one game after sitting out the MLS All-Star Game without prior approval, the league said on Friday.
The Inter Miami forward and his teammate, Jordi Alba, did not compete on Wednesday despite not being injured, even though they were included in the All-Star roster.
Inter Miami managing owner Jorge Mas described both players as "consummate professionals" who were "extremely upset" about the suspensions.
Messi upset about MLS ban
UPDATE: Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba HAVE been suspended one game for snubbing the All-Star Game.
UPDATE: Lionel Messi is ABSENT from the updated MLS All-Star roster and WON'T play in Wednesday's game.
Lionel Messi’s absence for the MLS All-Star training day has many fans worried that the Inter Miami star could miss Wednesday’s clash with the Liga MX All-Stars on Wednesday at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas.
Lionel Messi had two goals and two assists to lead Inter Miami to a bounce-back 5-1 victory over the host New York Red Bulls on Saturday night in Harrison, N.J.
Messi and Inter Miami (12-4-5, 41 points) erased a 1-0 first-half deficit with a flurry of goals late in the first half — two of them coming off the foot of Telasco Segovia — that staked the Herons to a 3-1 halftime lead.
Lionel Messi delivered yet another masterclass on Saturday night, scoring both goals in Inter Miami’s 2-1 home win against Nashville SC at Chase Stadium.
Inter Miami lost a 2-0 lead in the closing minutes of their final Club World Cup group stage match against Palmeiras, throwing away a golden opportunity to top Group A and secure a more favorable Round of 16 draw.
Despite leading for most of the match at a packed Hard Rock Stadium, the MLS side collapsed under late Brazilian pressure, dropping to second place in dramatic fashion.
Lionel Messi connected on a free kick in the 54th minute to propel Inter Miami to a 2-1 victory over FC Porto in a Group A match of the FIFA Club World Cup on Thursday afternoon.
Miami found its second goal in the first 10 minutes of the second half against Porto goalkeeper Claudio Ramos as Messi scored on the 68th free-kick goal of his illustrious career.
Messi free kick vs Porto
Hoping to fill a lot of empty seats, FIFA is reportedly slashing ticket prices for the June 14 Club World Cup opener hosted by Inter Miami.
The Athletic reported Wednesday that "tens of thousands" of seats at the 65,326-capacity Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., remain unsold for the 8 p.m. ET match between soccer superstar Lionel Messi's MLS club and Egypt's Al-Ahly.
Lionel Messi delivered another masterclass performance on Saturday night, scoring twice and assisting twice in Inter Miami’s dominant 5-1 victory over the Columbus Crew at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.