Messi shines, defense falters, Inter Miami prevails 5-3 over Cincinnati
After everyone caught their breath following a wild game with multiple lead changes, one thing was clear: Lionel Messi and Inter Miami’s attack are lethal enough to make up for the team’s habitual defensive lapses. At least for now.
Messi scored two goals and had an assist in a wild 5-3 comeback win on the road against FC Cincinnati Wednesday night, despite Miami falling behind twice.
Miami continued its dominance away from home, improving to 7-1-1 as visitors, and keeps scoring in bunches, with 12 goals over the past three games. Inter Miami leads the league with 31 goals over 13 games. But the team still gives up too many goals, with nine goals conceded over the past three games.
Messi scored in the 24th and 55th minutes, and was credited with a third goal in the 89th, but it was later ruled an own goal by Cincinnati goalkeeper Roman Celentano, nixing the apparent Messi hat trick.
Mateo Silvetti, returning from injury, came in off the bench and scored an equalizer in the 79th minute after Miami had fallen behind 3-2. German Berterame pushed Miami ahead 4-3 in the 84th minute and then Messi’s shot, which bounced in off Celentano, padded the lead.
“[Leo Messi] expends so much energy and has an amazing work rate, he continues to elevate MLS, Rodri [De Paul] and [Luis] Suarez also; what all the players did was brilliant,” said Inter Miami interim coach Guillermo Hoyos. “They showed they did not come to MLS to vacation. They left it all out there and showed that here in MLS we play football, too. There are no words to adequately describe the tremendous match they played and the energy they put into it against a very good opponent at a tough place to play. It was a spectacle for the fans to see.”
Hoyos also praised defensive midfielder Yannick Bright, who broke up countless Cincinnati plays, stole passes and sent the ball into the attack time and time again.
“Yannick is the defensive and offensive balance and is a very important player for us,” Hoyos said. “He can be slotted between the two center backs to form a back three. He is a young man with a very bright future, and he is learning to play alongside these monsters, which will make him better. We are very happy with Yannick.”
Messi nearly scored in the opening minutes of the game, after linking with Luis Suarez, who started for the fourth game in a row, but Messi was caught off side. Messi would strike in the 24th minute off a mistake by Cincinnati defender Matt Miazga, who tried to clear a ball near the front of the goal and instead Messi charged in and the ball bounced off his leg into the back of the net.
Kevin Denkey scored the equalizer for Cincinnati at the 41-minute mark on a penalty kick after Miami center back Gonzalo Lujan was called for a foul in the box. Inter Miami goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair, one of the league’s best PK stoppers, got his left glove on the shot, but it ricocheted into the side netting. It was Denkey’s eighth goal of the season.
The teams went into halftime knotted 1-1.
As they have done many times before, Inter Miami players took a long time to come out of the locker room for the second half while the home team waited at midfield and fans began to grow restless.
Four minutes later, Cincinnati took a 2-1 lead after an unmarked Pavel Bucha scored from close range. He collected a crossing pass from Bryan Ramirez, who also was loosely covered, a defensive lapse from a Miami back line that has been porous all season.
Messi (who else?) came to the rescue at the 55-minute mark with a left-footed equalizer on a cross from Rodrigo De Paul. His teammates swarmed the captain for a celebration, but the pink party was shortlived.
Cincinnati’s Brazilian playmaker Evander, a two-time runner-up for MLS MVP, electrified the home crowd with a blast of a shot from outside the box to the upper left corner to give their team a 3-2 lead. It was Evander’s seventh goal in the past six games. Denkey got the play started on a fast break.
A 3-2 lead in the 64th minute was not safe against this Miami team, which went on to score three unanswered goals and go home victorious.
Silvetti was delighted to score so quickly after entering the game in the second half after being stuck on the bench due to recent injuries.
“This was the result of the hard work people don’t always see,” he said. “From the first day I suffered the injury, I’ve worked really hard to come back as soon as possible and be on the field again. I was really eager to return, and thank God everything went well. Now, it’s about continuing to work hard and contributing.”
“Even though we were training twice, we managed to respond to those setbacks, and I think we ended up playing a great match,” Lujan said. “We made some mistakes, but in the end we earned three very important points.”
The Miami starters were St. Clair, right back Ian Fray, Lujan, center back Micael, left back Sergio Reguilon, De Paul, Bright, midfielder Telasco Segovia, Berterame, Suarez and Messi.
The last time Inter Miami faced Cincinnati was in the 2025 Eastern Conference Semifinals, where Miami eliminated FCC at TQL Stadium on the road to the MLS Cup title.
Miami won that match 4-0 with goals by Messi, Silvetti and a brace by Tadeo Allende, who did not travel to Wednesday’s game as he deals with a right knee injury. The club announced after the game that Allende is out indefinitely and that he is headed to Barcelona to undergo an evaluation with a specialist to determine the course of treatment. Noah Allen (groin) did not make the trip, either.
Inter Miami was coming off a 4-2 road victory at Toronto FC and remains in second place in the Eastern Conference with 25 points, two behind leader Nashville.
Cincinnati was unbeaten in six straight games (two wins, four ties) before Wednesday and had been 5-1-1 at home.
Inter Miami returns home to play the Portland Timbers on Sunday in search of its first victory at Nu Stadium. The Timbers are coached by former Miami coach Phil Neville. Portland tied Montreal 2-2 on Wednesday.
This story was originally published May 13, 2026 at 8:38 PM.