More often than not, Lionel Messi walks on the pitch.
The game, after all, is 90 minutes. And when you’re the best player to ever lace up a pair of boots, that saunter is far from laziness. There’s a quiet confidence in his stroll.
Everything changes upon an attack. The star winger’s arms get to pumping. The quick feet start to show. And before you know it, he’s in front of the goalie box and dishing it to midfielder Rodrigo DePaul for Inter Miami’s second score on the day.
Inter Miami bested New York City FC 2-0 Wednesday evening for their first back-to-back wins since July. Messi finished with an assist and seven total shots as the Herons managed to also clinch a spot in the playoffs.
“It was one of the first objectives this Club had for the season, and we’re right there,” coach Cristian González said of the postseason berth. “Obviously, we have to keep working as a team. Today, once again, we managed to keep a clean sheet, and that’s also important for us.”
Messi finished with an assist and seven total shots. He was involved in their first goal as well, starting a string of single touches that went from to DePaul to forward Luis Suarez to winger Germán Berterame who scored in the 20th minute.
“What I found was a team with a great willingness to work,” González said. “I always say the same thing: when you have players who are willing to buy into the ideas you want to implement, it makes things easier for you as a coach.”
The goal that landed Messi an assist, however, nearly didn’t happen. In fact, the outstretched leg of midfielder Nicolas Fernandez almost broke up the cross-pitch through ball that Berterame tried to sneak to the 39-year-old right before halftime. Luckily, it landed on the left foot of Messi who proceeded to take a few extra dribbles before sending it to DePaul for the goal.
Wednesday’s win notched Inter Miami’s 14th of the season, firmly fixating the team as the No. 2 seed in the eastern conference. NYCFC will continue as the 10th seed.
With Messi at the helm, Inter Miami will continue their title defense, one that has been fraught with more ties than they’d like to admit. In their last five games, two have ended in ties, the same amount of wins across that span.
Miami Herald
C. Isaiah Smalls II is a sports and culture writer who covers the Miami Dolphins. In his previous capacity at the Miami Herald, he was the race and culture reporter who created The 44 Percent, a newsletter dedicated to the Black men who voted to incorporate the city of Miami. A graduate of both Morehouse College and Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, Smalls previously worked for ESPN’s Andscape.