Messi and Suarez Lead Miami to Big Victory

Inter Miami had extra reason to celebrate the win. Just three days earlier, they were knocked out of the CONCACAF semi-finals with a home loss. Coach Javier Mascherano had said he would now focus on Major League Soccer (MLS). The Florida team earned a big victory in the top U.S. league, with goals from Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.

Miami played against the New York Red Bulls at home at Chase Stadium on Sunday morning. Miami took a 3-0 lead in the first half, but New York scored just before halftime to close the gap. Later, Messi added his name to the scoresheet and helped Miami secure a big 4-1 win.

Along with Argentina captain Messi and Suarez, Fafa Picoult and Marcelo Weygandt also scored for Miami. New York’s only goal came from former Bayern Munich striker Maxime Choupo-Moting. Although Choupo-Moting and his team had more chances, they couldn’t turn them into goals.

Ficault put Miami ahead in the 9th minute with a long pass from Suarez. Marcelo made it 2-0 in the 30th minute. Then, Suarez, who helped with the first goal, scored himself in the 39th minute. The New York Red Bulls struggled after going down 3-0 before halftime. But just before the break, Chupo Moting helped them pull one goal back.

Messi scored his goal in the 67th minute of the second half. The Argentine star passed with a teammate, moved into the box, and dodged a defender before shooting. The Red Bulls goalkeeper couldn’t stop his powerful close-range shot. This was Messi’s 859th career goal. After that, both teams kept pushing, but no more goals were scored. Inter Miami finished the match with a strong win.

With this victory, Miami is now fourth in the MLS Eastern Conference with 21 points from 10 games. Columbus Crew leads with 24 points from 11 matches, while Philadelphia Union and FC Cincinnati are second and third with 22 points each.