CHESTER, Pa. — Lionel Messi delivered a goal and an assist during an exciting 2-2 draw between Inter Miami CF and the Philadelphia Union on Wednesday night, a game marked by two players receiving red cards.
In the 21st minute at Subaru Park, Messi’s cross was headed by Luis Suarez to Daniel Pinter, who scored Inter Miami’s first goal.
Messi then showcased his skill in the 26th minute, cutting inside to his preferred left foot from 12 yards out and curling a magnificent shot into the corner of the net. This marked his first goal since his return to action following the passing of his father, Jorge Messi.
This season, Messi has recorded 13 goals and nine assists in 17 MLS matches. He has netted six goals and provided four assists in six encounters with the Union, who had previously lost to Miami 6-4 earlier in the season.
Indiana Vassilev scored for the Union with a volley in the first half, giving them an early lead. Later, 18-year-old defender Neil Pierre added a second goal for the Union, heading in his third of the season in the 58th minute to level the match. Union’s 16-year-old midfielder Cavan Sullivan tallied his seventh assist of the season on Vassilev’s goal.
After the match, Inter Miami coach Guillermo Hoyos commented, “They are a powerful team. I would have liked the three points, of course, but it was an evenly matched game where we had to work hard for the draw.”
In the 62nd minute, it appeared as if Union forward Milan Iloski had scored to put the Union ahead, but the goal was disallowed following a review as Pierre was ruled offside in the buildup.
“There were chances for both sides; it was a back-and-forth game. Both teams were pushing for a positive result, and it turned into an incredibly intense match,” added Hoyos.
The tension escalated as two players—Yannick Bright and Sullivan—received red cards during stoppage time following an off-the-ball altercation.
Entering the match, Inter Miami (11-3-6) was positioned second in the Eastern Conference following a 4-1 defeat to first-place Nashville on Saturday. In that loss, Messi played the full 90 minutes, missed a penalty, hit the post twice, and assisted on Telasco Segovia’s goal, recording a game-high 11 shot attempts.
Miami had been struggling with three consecutive losses across all competitions prior to Wednesday’s match, facing defeats against two Mexican clubs in the Leagues Cup. The loss to Nashville snapped a seven-game unbeaten streak in MLS (6-0-1) that dated back to May 9.
Messi returned to the field as a substitute in the Aug. 12 loss to Leon, playing 45 minutes after missing the Aug. 8 match against Monterrey to attend his father’s funeral.
The Union (5-10-5) have remained unbeaten in five matches (4-0-1) since Ryan Richter took over as interim coach.
On Wednesday, Rodrigo De Paul, who played alongside Messi on Argentina’s runner-up World Cup team, was suspended due to yellow card accumulation.
In their previous match against the Union, Suarez scored a hat trick, leading his team back from first-half deficits of 2-0 and 3-1.
Currently, the Union sit in 14th place in the Eastern Conference with 20 points from 20 matches in the 34-match MLS regular season.
Information from The Associated Press was utilized in this recap.