Messi leads Inter Miami in New England
Lionel Messi scored twice in his fourth-straight Major League Soccer match, while the Herons won their fourth straight league contest. Inter Miami has lost just one of its last nine outings.
Tadeo Allende, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Baltazar Rodriguez embrace Lionel Messi (behind Rodriguez) after one of his two first-half goals at New England. CREDIT: Inter Miami CF
Herons look vulnerable in 2-1 win against Revolution
Inter Miami’s 2-1 road win against the New England Revolution on Wednesday counts three points, same as any other win, but Los Garzas’ supporters should be concerned with the Herons’ performance.
The victory lifted Miami (10-3-5, 35 points) over Orlando City (34 points) into fifth place in Major League Soccer’s Eastern Conference, just seven points behind first-place FC Cincinnati. The four teams ahead of Inter Miami all have played three games more than the Herons thanks to Miami’s busy early season schedule in the Champions Cup and Club World Cup competitions. That’s a potential nine points on the table for Miami, but they won’t mean anything if the Herons don’t get results. The team’s performance against New England wasn’t reassuring that they will.
Earlier this season, Los Angeles FC and the Vancouver Whitecaps showed that playing a low block — condensing the defense into the penalty box to deny Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez the space to work their wonders — and kicking long, direct passes down the pitch, over the Herons’ pace-challenged defenders to sprinting attackers — is THE formula for beating La Rosa Negra.
The Revolution (24 points), 11th in the MLS East, followed the script and could have produced a very different result if not for their own offensive inefficiency and several good saves by Inter Miami goalkeeper Oscar Ustari.
Messi, who’s been on an incredible run of form, scored both Herons’ goals, but the Miami offense didn’t create either one. The Argentine icon got the first after intercepting a poorly headed back-pass from a Revs’ defender in front of goal in the 27th minute, the second in transition with a lovely Sergio Busquets line-splitting pass that Messi took in stride and smashed home in the 38th minute.
With the brace, Messi set an MLS record with his fourth consecutive multi-goal match, but his streak of three straight matches with at least two goals and an assist came to an end.
Carles Gil, the MLS Most Valuable Player AND MLS Comeback Player of the Year in 2021, scored New England’s lone goal in the 79th minute.
Again, no rest for Messi and the Barca Bunch
The Pink & Black is preparing to play its third match in eight days Saturday against second-place Nashville (41 points). Road games at league-leading FC Cincinnati (Wednesday) and the eighth-place New York Red Bulls (30 points) on July 19 comprise a stretch of five matches in 15 days. After a week's rest, Inter Miami will host FC Cincinnati on July 26.
It’s fair to say this is a crucial stretch for Los Garzas, but Miami coach Javier Mascherano still is leaning heavily on his former Barcelona teammates: Messi and Luis Suarez are 38; Jordi Alba and Busquets are 36. Mascherano — who was a superb center back during his playing career — is only 40, in his first year coaching a club team, and experiencing his first MLS season. Could he be more concerned with his relationships with his friends than his team’s long-term success?
Messi, Alba and Busquets played all 99 minutes Wednesday; Suarez played 90, coming out in the 87th minute. Meanwhile, Inter Miami will face the second-best team in the league Saturday and the league leaders twice in the ensuing two weeks.
After the game, Mascherano told reporters he “wanted to give (Messi) some rest” but decided against it when Gil scored.
“The plan was always for Leo to play, but we wanted to give him some rest during this game…once New England scored, they put us under pressure, so we preferred to keep him on the pitch,” Mascherano said. “It’s not the best situation for us because we know in the next few games, we have to find the moment to give him some rest. We have a lot of games coming but we will try to analyze when is the best time to give him some rest.”
LINEUPS
NEW ENGLAND — Ivacic; Ceballos, Beason, Fofana, Miller; Yusuf, Polster, Gil; Bye, Campana, Langoni. BENCH — Urruti, Omsberg, Sands, Yueill, Hughes, Chancalay, Diaz Espinoza, Parisian, Oyirwoth
INTER HERON — Ustari; Alba, Aviles, Falcon, Weigandt; Rodriguez, Busquets, Redondo, Allende. BENCH — Rios Novo, Picault, Sailor, Cremaschi, Morales, Afonso, Segovia, Martinez, Obando
Mascherano did make two changes to the starting lineup that beat CF Montreal 4-1 Saturday: Federico Redondo rotated into the defensive midfield for Benjamin Cremaschi and, in a minor surprise, Baltasar Rodriguez replaced Telasco Segovia in the attack. Rodriguez, who turned 22 on matchday, is an Argentinian attacking midfielder on loan from Racing Club de Avellaneda in Buenos Aires.
In his first start for the Herons, Rodriguez played 63 minutes, giving him 112 minutes played in the Pink & Black in four appearances. Rodriguez played his first minutes for Inter Miami on May 14 and got the assist on Tadeo Allende’s equalizer in a 3-3 draw against the San Jose Earthquakes.
Rodriguez showed a more aggressive style than the smooth Segovia on Wednesday, earning his first MLS yellow card in the first half. He was relieved by Segovia in the 63rd minute.
Redondo and injured Yannick Bright have shared minutes beside Busquets all season; with Bright out, Cremaschi has joined that rotation. Wednesday was just Redondo’s turn.
It would have been nice to see Fafa Picault get a chance as a wing or up front with Messi; the veteran is still faster than most, if not all, of the Herons’ roster and has the technical skill to create shots for himself or his teammates. He could be a key factor in breaking down those bunker defenses.
Bright and Gonzalo Lujan should be able to play soon, while the outlook is more uncertain for Noah Allen, Ian Fray and Drake Callender.
PLAYER of the MATCH
Messi, as usual, was the best player on the pitch — that’s a given. But in this match, I think Ustari stood out. He made five saves and played through pain after hurting his shoulder in the second half. The 39-year-old Argentine journeyman — a friend of Messi’s since their time on the Argentina youth national teams — has been a solid keeper, earning the starting job after Callender was injured at the U.S. Men’s National Team’s January camp.
Callender returned to the squad briefly before undergoing sports hernia surgery; he should be able to return in a few weeks, but Ustari has stood tall in his absence. If Ustari can’t play or is rested, the Herons would turn to Rocco Rios Novo, 22, from Los Angeles, or William Yarbrough, 36, who was born in Mexico to American parents. Rios Novo is on a one-year loan from Club Atletico Lanus of Argentina; Yarbrough played for the Earthquakes in 2024 and signed with Miami as a free agent.
NEXT UP
Inter Miami hosts rival Nashville SC at 7:45 p.m. ET at Chase Stadium. The match will be televised on Apple TV+ MLS Season Pass, FS1 and on FOX Deportes.