All is well at Inter Miami, judging by the team’s standing in the Major League Soccer table. Following a 3-2 comeback win over Montreal Impact, Inter Miami have consolidated top spot in the Eastern Conference of MLS with 27 points from 13 games, as well as a league-high 35 goals. That gaudy goal total is the product of pairing Lionel Messi once more with Luis Suarez — the former had a quiet game against Montreal by his standards, but the latter grabbed the Herons’ equalizer in first-half stoppage time.
In general, Messi didn’t have his best game at Saputo Stadium. In a rare occurrence, he neither scored a goal nor registered an assist despite playing the full 90 minutes in Montreal — and at one point in the first half, his frustration appeared to boil over.
The rule change that Messi can’t believe
Late in the first half of Saturday’s game, Messi pulled up with an apparent injury and had to leave the pitch for two minutes in order to receive treatment. That is in line with a new MLS rule stating that an injured player must leave the field of play for at least two minutes before coming back on.
Messi was fine, and he went on to play the rest of the game, but the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner made his displeasure known just before he re-entered. He looked directly at the camera and said “with this kind of rule, we’re headed in the wrong direction.”
But where one door closes — even temporarily — another one can open. While Messi was off receiving medical attention, midfielder Matias Rojas stepped up for a free kick that the World Cup winner would normally take. Rojas made the most of the opportunity, scoring a terrific goal to bring Inter Miami back within a goal. Suarez would equalize minutes later, and Benjamin Cremaschi grabbed the winning goal just before the hour mark.
That Messi is dominating MLS defenders while still coming to grips with the league’s rules and regulations speaks volumes of the player — and should be mighty encouraging to Inter Miami’s fans as the team sets its gaze on the MLS Cup this fall.
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