A dazzling display from Inter Miami CF leads to Lionel Messi’s first MLS league goal

Lionel Messi played in his first actual MLS match on Saturday night, with Inter Miami CF taking on the NY Red Bulls. To date all of Messi’s matches with Miami have been in cup competitions, whether the Leagues Cup or the U.S. Open Cup, and Saturday night was Messi’s first taste of MLS league action.

As you might expect, he now has his first official MLS goal.

Messi was not in the starting lineup for Miami on Saturday night, as Coach Tata Martino chose to rest five regular starters: Messi, Sergio Busquets, Josef Martinez, DeAndre Yedlin and Benjamin Cremaschi. Instead Miami started a number of Under-22 players,

But Messi came into the match in the 60th minute, along with Busquets and Cremaschi, with Miami already holding a 1-0 lead. They put the exclamation point on the board with Messi’s first MLS league goal, thanks to a brilliant offensive buildup:

It is hard to pick out the best moment from this goal. Jordi Alba’s first touch where he bicycles a left-footed pass into Messi certainly stands out. As does Messi’s vision to put a ball in front of a streaking Cremaschi shortly thereafter. But perhaps it is the return pass from Cremaschi who, rather than taking on the keeper, knows that the extra pass will lead to a tap-in goal for Messi.

Somewhere Ted Lasso is smiling.