Lionel Messi was quick to turn his attention to winning the MLS Cup after landing the 46th major title of his career last night.
Messi scored twice as Inter Miami won 3-2 at Columbus Crew, a victory that meant they clinched the MLS Supporters’ Shield for the team with the best record in the regular season.
The Argentina captain’s double included a sublime free-kick with Luis Suarez also getting on the scoresheet for Miami, who were indebted to a late penalty save from Drake Callender to preserve the three points.
Don Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccittini. pic.twitter.com/cSXGNiCzos
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) October 3, 2024
Next up is the MLS play-offs which Messi hopes will culminate in reaching the MLS Cup final.
“Happy, happy for this group. Honestly, we said at the beginning of the year that we knew this was a group capable of fighting for this, and we took responsibility from the start because we have the players to do it. Thrilled to achieve the first goal, and now we focus on what’s next,” Messi told Apple TV+.
“The first round is three games, but after that, it’s a single match where anything can happen. But we’ll have a big advantage playing all the games at home, which is what we aimed for. I think we are very strong at home, and when you go to any MLS stadium, it’s not easy. We have a big advantage, but we still need to prove it.”
Still prolific at 37
Messi missed a large chunk of the season after sustaining an ankle injury in Argentina’s Copa America final win over Colombia in July but still managed 17 goals in the regular season.
And he felt the trophy vindicated his decision to join Miami and team up with coach Tata Martino and former Barcelona team-mates Suarez, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets.
He added: “With Tata’s arrival and when we joined too, the idea was clear from the beginning: we wanted to be protagonists, control possession, and challenge opponents through our play.”
