Lionel Messi scored twice in the space of four minutes to lift Inter Miami to a 3-1 victory at Atlanta United on Saturday. The result kept the Herons’ MLS title defence gaining momentum as the playoffs draw closer.
The 39-year-old now tops the Major League Soccer scoring chart with 25 goals, six ahead of Croatian striker Petar Musa of FC Dallas and Philadelphia’s Milan Iloski. The win was Miami’s third straight, and it came at the same Atlanta stadium where Messi helped Argentina beat England in the World Cup semi-finals in July.
Messi’s double seals Inter Miami win in Atlanta
Miami took the lead just before halftime, when Messi headed the ball to Luis Suárez. Suárez shook off his marker in the box and lofted a pass that German Berterame nodded home for a 1-0 lead in the 45th minute.
Berterame then turned provider, finding Messi, who weaved through the Atlanta defence and drilled a left-footed shot from the centre of the box in the 56th minute. Four minutes later, Messi broke away on a pass from Suárez, beat Junior Alonso and fired past Atlanta keeper Lucas Hoyos.
Fafa Picault converted a penalty in the 89th minute to pull a goal back for Atlanta. Gerardo Martino’s side sit second from bottom in the Eastern Conference, and time is running short for them to turn their season around in time to reach the playoffs.
Messi’s scoring and assist milestones in MLS
Messi was credited with an assist on Berterame’s goal, which moved him level with LAFC’s Son Heung-min at the top of the MLS assists table. He is the first player in league history to record at least 15 assists in three straight seasons.
Messi has now scored four goals in three matches since his emotional Argentina send-off. Miami, who clinched a playoff berth on Wednesday, have won their last three games under Cristian “Kily” Gonzalez, who took over as coach last month.
St. Louis City and Philadelphia unbeaten runs
Elsewhere, St. Louis City’s MLS record-tying 19-match unbeaten streak ended with a 3-2 loss at Minnesota. Goals from Brazilian forward Rafael Navarro and South Korean winger Jeong Sang-bin put City ahead early, but Aziel Jackson replied for Minnesota in the 49th minute. Canadian Marcus Caldeira then scored the winner in the 86th minute.
The result means St. Louis missed the chance to break the MLS unbeaten record it shares with Columbus, Dallas and Inter Miami. City also saw their MLS-record 21-match unbeaten run across all competitions snapped. They had not lost a league match since a 2-0 defeat at Austin on May 3, going 13 wins and six draws in that stretch. St. Louis have already qualified for the playoffs, their first appearance there since 2023.
Philadelphia’s run of eight consecutive MLS wins ended with a 2-2 home draw against Charlotte, although their unbeaten run reached 15 matches. The Union lost 6-4 at Miami on May 24, but since then they have won 12 and drawn three. They have taken 39 of a possible 45 points since Ryan Richter became interim head coach during the league’s World Cup break.
