Messi shatters MLS records, Suarez scores hat trick, Inter Miami widens league lead
Just when you thought you had seen every way that Lionel Messi can influence a game over his illustrious career, he went and shattered MLS records Saturday night with a goal and five assists in a 6-2 Inter Miami comeback win over the New York Red Bulls.
With Miami trailing 1-0 at halftime, the Argentine captain delivered a second half that left the Red Bulls, the near-sellout crowd at Chase Stadium (which included Heat star Jimmy Butler) and the Apple TV audience with their heads spinning.
Newly signed Paraguayan midfielder Matias Rojas, a second-half sub, scored a pair of goals off assists from Messi. Luis Suarez got a hat trick over the span of 12 minutes and all three were assisted by Messi, Suarez’s close friend and former Barcelona teammate.
Miami raced to six unanswered goals at blazing speed, which seemed fitting with the Miami Grand Prix taking place this weekend just down 1-95.
“What we saw tonight is surprising because it hasn’t been seen before in our sport, but as a teammate and knowing Leo, nothing surprises me because that’s the quality player he is,” Suarez said. “On the field it’s a different feeling having him as a teammate because we know each other so well, sometimes without even looking at each other. That was another plus we had tonight on a great night.”
Six weeks ago, Inter Miami was trounced 4-0 on the road to the Red Bulls for their worst loss of the season. The weather was frigid and raining that day and Messi was out with a hamstring injury. Saturday was a completely different climate and result.
With his performance, Messi continued to etch his name into the MLS history book.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner has scored 10 goals and recorded 12 assists over eight games so far this season, an MLS record. His six goal contributions on Saturday set a record for the most in a single game in MLS history. Messi’s five assists were also the most by a player in a game in MLS history.
Asked whether he would vote for Messi, Suarez or Rojas for MVP of the match, Martino replied: “That is a tough question. The truth is they were all phenomenal. Leo made league history with five assists and a goal. But I can’t forget about Luis’ three goals and the two from Matias.”
Miami has not lost another league game since that defeat to New York and is riding a four-game win streak during which it has outscored opponents 16-6.
Messi is a big reason for the turnaround and for the team’s surge to the top of the Supporters Shield race with 24 points. On Tuesday he was named MLS Player of the Month for April, and he continues to shine in May.
Suarez is also making a huge impact with 10 goals and five assists over 11 MLS games. And Rojas, who just joined the team last week, is showing why Inter Miami was so keen on signing him from Brazilian club Corinthians.
“Matias is a player with a lot of quality, with a valuable left foot, and we wanted to bring him along slowly because he had not played in several months,” Martino said. “That is why he didn’t start. I think we saw a great version of Matias over 45 minutes and we hope that will continue and we have to find the best spot for him.”
Miami is unbeaten over the past four league games and leads MLS with 32 goals. Third-place New York was unbeaten over six heading into Saturday, led by Emil Forsberg and former Inter Miami winger Lewis Morgan, who scored a hat trick against Miami on March 23. He was held scoreless on Saturday.
Forsberg set up New York’s first goal in the 30th minute on a fast break, feeding a long diagonal pass to Wikelman Carmona, whose shot banged off the left post and then Dante Vanzeir scored on the rebound. Forsberg also scored on a penalty kick in the seventh minute of added time.
“We had trouble connecting our passes between our lines in the first half, we couldn’t progress from the wings because they did a good job defending that, and we need to take more risks,” Martino said. “In the second half we calmed down when we scored the equalizer and then after the second goal we found our game.”
And, of course, Messi’s presence was instrumental.
“Leo always makes a big impact, and in this game, his connection with Luis (Suarez) was like old times and when they find each other their teammates can support them and find spaces,” Martino said. “The league has DPs (Designated Players) for a reason and he is ours. When he is missing, yes, the team feels it.”
Martino, who coached Messi at Barcelona and with the Argentine national team, was asked if he had ever seen an exhibition like what he did Saturday night.
“He had exceptional games with Barcelona, and I remember a Copa America semifinal against Paraguay in Chile in which he didn’t score any goals but I thought he was the best player on the field,” Martino said. “In Barcelona there was a game against Valencia where we were losing 2-0 and we won 3-2 with three goals by him. There was another game against Sevilla we were losing 1-0 and we won 4-1 and he scored three goals.
“It’s always the same with him. It sounds redundant, but he always does something new. And if there was anything missing it was this, to have contributions in all six goals is something that will be hard to see again.”
Miami plays the next two games on the road against CF Montreal and Orlando City.
This story was originally published May 4, 2024 at 7:00 PM.