Lionel Messi led Inter Miami to a commanding 4-0 victory over New York City FC on Wednesday night, scoring his 23rd and 24th goals of the MLS season and adding his 13th assist. This win secured the Herons a spot in the MLS Cup playoffs.
Luis Suarez, returning from a three-game suspension, scored his seventh goal with a penalty kick as Miami (16-6-7, 55 points) climbed to third in the Eastern Conference, surpassing NYCFC (16-10-5, 53 points) and Charlotte FC.
Baltasar Rodriguez scored his second goal for Miami, which now trails Philadelphia, the leader in the East and Supporters’ Shield race, by five points with two games in hand.
NYCFC’s three-match winning streak ended as they failed to score for the first time in 10 league matches, dropping to fifth place in the East.
Sergio Busquets contributed two assists in Miami’s third consecutive victory following a 3-0 defeat at Charlotte on Sept. 13. Since that loss, Miami has outscored opponents 10-3, with Messi himself outscoring them 5-3.
Messi now leads the MLS goal-scoring chart, two goals ahead of LAFC’s Denis Bouanga and three ahead of Nashville’s Sam Surridge.
Messi’s assist came first when Rodriguez scored in the 43rd minute, finishing an attack that cut through New York’s defense.
Busquets intercepted a pass and quickly moved the ball to Messi, who, with one touch, turned towards the goal and fed Rodriguez, who scored from just inside the penalty area.
Messi scored his first goal in the 74th minute, chipping goalkeeper Matt Freese after receiving an excellent through ball from Busquets. His second goal came 12 minutes later, finishing a play initiated by Marcelo Weigandt and aided by Suarez’s decoy run.
