Inter Miami’s FIFA Club World Cup journey may have ended in disappointment, but Lionel Messi has wasted no time reigniting his brilliance in Major League Soccer. On Wednesday (July 9), the Argentine icon delivered yet another masterclass, scoring twice in the first half of Miami’s 2-1 win over the New England Revolution, once again etching his name in Major League Soccer’s (MLS) history.
The 38-year-old superstar has now scored two goals in each of his last four league matches, a feat no player has accomplished since MLS began in 1996. He launched this remarkable run in late May, starting with a 4-2 win over Montreal, followed by a 5-1 rout of Columbus, and then another brace in a 4-1 away win at Montreal just days ago.
Miami had briefly paused their MLS campaign to compete in the FIFA Club World Cup, where Messi managed only one goal across four matches before the team was knocked out in the Round of 16 by Paris Saint-Germain.
Under coach Javier Mascherano, Inter Miami returned to domestic play in explosive fashion, starting with that 4-1 win in Montreal powered once again by Messi. In total, he now has 14 goals in 15 MLS matches, just two behind league top scorer Sam Surridge, who has played six more games for Nashville.
Lionel Messi’s eight goal surge over four straight games marks the first time in league history a player has done so. MLS was founded in 1996 and no player has achieved this feat in nearly three decades.
Lionel Messi broke the deadlock in the 27th minute at Gillette Stadium yesterday, seizing on a defensive lapse and calmly finishing with his left foot from the center of the box. Eleven minutes later, he latched onto a long through ball from Sergio Busquets and expertly curled a second goal past goalkeeper Aljaz Ivacic. Veteran keeper Oscar Ustari also delivered a key performance, making six saves before Carles Gil finally broke through in the 79th minute with a powerful shot from outside the box after intercepting Tadeo Allende.
The win lifted Miami from sixth to fifth in the Eastern Conference standings. With 35 points and three games in hand, they now trail first-place FC Cincinnati by just seven points and with Messi in this kind of form, the chase is far from over.
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