After going silent in the previous match, failing to record an offensive point, Lionel Messi came out flying.
Inter Miami defeated LAFC 3-1 in the 28th round of the 2023 U.S. Major League Soccer (MLS) season at Bank of California Stadium in Los Angeles, California, U.S., at 11 a.m. ET on Thursday. With the win, Inter Miami moved into 14th place in the standings, one spot out of last place.
Messi started up front in a 3-5-2 formation. His attacking partner was Facundo Farias, while Diego Gomez, Sergio Busquets, and Benjamin Kramaski held down the middle. The defense was made up of Jordi Alba, Kamal Miller, Sergi Kripchow, Tomasz Aviles, and DeAndre Yedlin, with Drake Calendar in goal.
After being quiet in the previous match, failing to register an offensive point, Messi made an immediate impact. He set up Alba with a penetrating pass six minutes into the second half for a 1-0 lead, and then set up Leonardo Campagna’s game-winning goal in the 37th minute. Despite conceding a late goal in the 45th minute, Messi’s performance was enough to give Miami a 3-1 victory.
Messi’s tremendous performance was reflected in his stats and ratings. According to soccer stats site Sofascore, Messi played the full game and had two assists, two successful dribbles, three key passes, and an 85% passing accuracy rate, giving him an 8.2 rating, the highest of any player on either team.
Messi joined Inter Miami in the summer transfer window and has made an immediate impact since his arrival. Making his debut in the League Cup against Cruz Azul, Messi scored the first goal of the match on a spectacularly trajectory free kick in stoppage time, then followed it up with two goals and an assist in a 4-0 win over Atlanta. Messi’s performance helped Inter Miami finish first in their group and advance to the tournament.
Messi’s performance in the tournament was equally impressive. He scored multiple goals against Orlando City, multiple goals against Dallas, one goal against Charlotte, one goal against Philadelphia, and eventually scored in the final against Nashville to win the title in penalty kicks. In seven League Cup matches since joining the club, Messi has scored 10 goals and provided one assist.
After that, Messi’s offensive point streak seemed unstoppable. After recording two assists against Cincinnati in the U.S. Open Cup, Messi continued his streak with a goal in the resumed league 토토사이트 match, but the very next game, in Nashville, he failed to record an attacking point for the first time in 10 games since joining the club. Even though Messi didn’t score an attacking point in that game, he was the spearhead of the team’s offense with a top rating.
However, Messi’s attacking instincts kicked in immediately. With his two assists on the night, Messi now has 11 goals and five assists in 11 games in an Inter Miami jersey. With Messi’s performance, Inter Miami is looking to get out of the bottom of the table.