Inter Miami defeated Columbus Crew 3-2 to win the Supporters' Shield for the first time in the club's history, thanks to Lionel Messi's two out-of-this-world goals. With this victory, Inter Miami updated their record with the best record in MLS and clinched the Supporters' Shield. Of course, it was Messi who led Inter Miami. The legend scored two goals in the tournament, further increasing his chances of becoming the MVP.
His first goal in this match came from a typical connection with former Barça teammate Jordi Alba. Alba played a beautiful pass between two defenders to Messi, who danced around them and the goalkeeper to take the lead. It's hard to explain in words how cool this is. Look at the arc of that pass, it wasn't aimed at anyone but Messi.
His second goal was a truly shocking free kick that went straight into the bottom left corner of the goal. The goalkeeper didn't have a chance to score, but it was an incredible goal for Messi, who felt like he had just spent the day at the office.
Despite two goals from Messi and another from Luis Suarez, Inter Miami were on the verge of going into overtime with the score tied. With Columbus being penalized, it was up to goaltender Drake Callender to save the day.
He did just that.
With this win, Inter Miami completed an incredible comeback, going from one of the worst teams in the league to one of the best in the league. Messi scored 17 goals and provided 15 assists for Inter Miami, playing a major role in the team's 46th trophy in professional football.
Miami's turnaround was one of the most incredible things people have seen in MLS, and the addition of Messi helped make it a reality. Inter Miami struggled after being acquired by soccer legend David Beckham. After a poor first year and subsequent 2021 season, the team appeared disoriented and directionless. In 2022, they added Gonzalo Higuain, but they still couldn't break through and finished in 12th place. When Messi, Alba, Suarez and Sergio Busquets joined Inter Miami, the team quickly rocketed up the rankings, culminating with victory in the Supporters' Shield.
Now, with the Supporters' Shield in hand, Inter Miami will play their first match against Toronto FC on October 5th as Supporters' Shield champions.
