Lionel Messi Leads Inter Miami CF To MLS Season Opener Win

(CTN News) – Lionel Messi helped set up both goals in Inter Miami’s 2-0 win against Real Salt Lake on Wednesday in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, during the season opener of Major League Soccer (MLS). David Beckham’s club defeated the defending league champions.

Robert Taylor scored in the first half and Diego Gomez scored in the second to give Inter Miami the victory.

Messi nearly gave the sold-out crowd what they were expecting midway through the first half with a goal he scored from a free kick and then another one that he scored from a corner kick midway through the half.

In his remarks following Wednesday’s game, MLS Commissioner Don Garber said, “I think the eyes of the world are on Inter Miami, and I am hoping that they are able to fulfill whatever expectations people have,” as he attended the match.

“Most of all, I would like his experience to be a good one, as well as the team’s experience to be a good one, and they should be able to demonstrate their success not only in our league but also throughout the world. That is really the story that we should be telling.”

The Argentinean star scored 11 goals in 14 games last season for Inter Miami, leading the team to capture its first ever League Cup title, which was the first trophy the team had ever won.

During the 2023 season, he signed a contract with the MLS worth approximately $150 million, after which he appeared in six matches, scoring one goal.

As a result of injuries he suffered late in the season, Inter Miami FC was unable to make the playoffs for the second consecutive season.

It was Messi who assisted on the first goal against Salt Lake on Wednesday, which was set up for Gómez’s goal by Luis Suarez, who himself assisted on the first goal.

“My heart is bursting with happiness,” Adalberto Suarez said after his new team’s match against a team that looked every bit as good as the old ones.

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