James Sands scored his first MLS goal for New York City FC in added time to earn the team a point against Lionel Messi's Inter Miami at Yankee Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The Suns' goal came in the 95th minute with NYCFC trailing by one goal in a crucial late-season game with the team battling for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
The New York City midfielder leapt into the air to head a Santiago Rodriguez corner kick over Drake Callender's head for the tying goal.
The dramatic ending saw the Yankee Stadium crowd, packed out in larger numbers mainly to see Messi playing in New York for the first time since moving to MLS, go home feeling like they got their money's worth.
Messi delighted the heavily Messi-supporting crowd by using his golden leg to assist an Inter Miami goal early in the game.
Messi raced up the pitch and played a perfect pass to Jordi Alba inside the penalty area, who got a quick touch and passed it to Leo Campana who scored in the 75th minute of a scoreless game.
While Messi's moment didn't come in the form of a goal, New York-area soccer fans enjoyed the Argentine superstar's play last year when he faced the New York Red Bulls.
However, a large crowd of fans dressed in Inter Miami uniforms cheered Campana's goal.
All eyes were on Messi from start to finish, but NYCFC looked the better team for much of the game, but couldn't capitalize on their chances until the final minutes.
Hannes Wolf had consecutive chances in the 60th and 61st minutes, one of which forced Callender into a diving save.
The game was largely calm until the final seconds of the second half, when emotions began to erupt between both teams.
In a span of approximately eight minutes, from the 63rd to the 71st minutes, a total of five yellow cards were shown (four to Inter Miami and one to NYCFC), and Inter Miami assistant coach Gerardo Andres Martino was shown a red card.
Messi came off the bench in Wednesday's win over Atlanta and there was doubt whether he would be in the starting lineup for Saturday afternoon's game against Inter Miami.
Messi is in his first week back from an ankle injury he suffered in July's Copa America final and started in Miami's game against NYCFC.
NYCFC officials were expecting a crowd of more than 40,000 to attend the Bronx Stadium, Messi's first official appearance for Miami.
The upper levels of Yankee Stadium, which are normally closed during NYCFC games, were open in anticipation of a larger-than-usual number of fans in attendance.
Among the fans in attendance, the pink Inter Miami jersey with Messi's name on the back immediately stood out.
Messi was greeted with thunderous applause when he walked onto the pitch to warm up and when he was named in the starting line-up.
And the excitement grew every time Messi touched the ball.
NYCFC supporters tried to combat Messi fever by displaying banners before kick-off depicting Inter Miami fans as plastic and mocking the club's soaring popularity thanks to the Argentine soccer star.
