Messi scores brace as Inter Miami beat Atlanta United 3-1

Lionel Messi struck twice in four minutes to inspire Inter Miami to a convincing 3-1 victory over Atlanta United on Saturday, extending the Herons’ winning streak to three matches as they build momentum ahead of the MLS playoffs.

The 39-year-old Argentine superstar now leads the Major League Soccer scoring charts with 25 goals, six ahead of Petar Musa of FC Dallas and Milan Iloski of Philadelphia Union.

At the same Atlanta venue where Messi helped Argentina defeat England in the World Cup semi-finals in July, the forward delivered another memorable performance to secure Miami’s third consecutive victory.

Messi Leads Miami to Another Victory

German Berterame opened the scoring for Miami in the 45th minute, finishing a move involving Messi and Luis Suarez. Messi headed the ball towards Suarez, who held off his marker inside the penalty area before delivering a lofted pass for Berterame to nod home.

Miami doubled their advantage in the 56th minute when Berterame turned provider. The forward found Messi, who skilfully worked his way through the Atlanta defence before firing a left-footed shot from the centre of the box.

Just four minutes later, Messi struck again to put the visitors firmly in control. Receiving a pass from Suarez, the Argentine broke forward, outmanoeuvred Junior Alonso and beat Atlanta goalkeeper Lucas Hoyos with a clinical finish.

The brace further strengthened Messi’s position at the top of the MLS scoring standings and underlined his importance to Miami’s push for another championship.

Messi also registered an assist during the match, moving level with Son Heung-min of Los Angeles FC at the top of the league’s assists chart. He also became the first player in MLS history to record at least 15 assists in three consecutive seasons.

The Argentine has now scored four goals in three appearances since his emotional farewell to international football with Argentina.

Miami, who secured their place in the playoffs on Wednesday, also recorded their third straight win under Cristian “Kily” Gonzalez, who took charge of the team last month.

Fafa Picault converted a penalty in the 89th minute to pull one goal back for Atlanta. However, the late strike proved insufficient to prevent defeat.

Atlanta, managed by Gerardo Martino, remain near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings and face an increasingly difficult task in their bid to reach the playoffs.

St. Louis City’s Unbeaten Run Comes to an End

Elsewhere in MLS, St. Louis City saw their record-equalling 19-match unbeaten league run come to an end following a dramatic 3-2 defeat away to Minnesota United.

The result denied St. Louis the opportunity to establish a new MLS record, leaving them level with Columbus Crew, FC Dallas and Inter Miami for the league’s longest unbeaten streak at 19 matches. Their MLS-record 21-game unbeaten run across all competitions also came to an end.

St. Louis had taken an early lead through Brazilian forward Rafael Navarro and South Korean winger Jeong Sang-bin.

Minnesota responded after the break, with Aziel Jackson reducing the deficit in the 49th minute before Kelvin Yeboah levelled the score in the 68th minute.

Canadian forward Marcus Caldeira then completed the comeback, scoring the decisive goal in the 86th minute to secure all three points for Minnesota.

Despite the defeat, St. Louis have already secured a playoff place for the first time since 2023. Their unbeaten run had begun after a 2-0 loss away to Austin on May 3, producing 13 victories and six draws in league competition.

Philadelphia Union Extend Unbeaten Run

Meanwhile, Philadelphia Union extended their unbeaten MLS run to 15 matches after fighting back to earn a 2-2 draw against Charlotte FC.

The Union had entered the match following eight consecutive league victories, but Charlotte prevented them from extending that winning streak.

Philadelphia’s impressive run began after a 6-4 defeat to Inter Miami on May 24. Since then, the team have recorded 12 wins and three draws, collecting 39 points from a possible 45.

Much of that progress has come under interim head coach Ryan Richter, who took charge during the league’s World Cup break.

Although Philadelphia were unable to claim another victory, their continued consistency keeps them among the league’s strongest sides as the postseason approaches.