FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — This was how 2024 started for Inter Miami: Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets, all former Barcelona teammates who won multiple titles together, sitting side-by-side after the first official training session of the new season.
And here's the latest scene: Messi, Suarez, Alba and Busquets were sitting together again Wednesday night, holding their newest prize — the Supporters Shield, the trophy given to the top regular-season team in Major League Soccer.
Inter Miami will be the No. 1 seed for the MLS Cup playoffs, the team wrapping up that spot with a 3-2 victory at the Columbus Crew on Wednesday night. It was the league's most-hyped regular season match of this season, maybe the most-hyped in a long time.
“I'm happy,” Messi said. “Happy for this group.”
Messi scored twice to push his total to 17 goals in 17 MLS matches this season, Suarez scored the eventual winner for Inter Miami on Wednesday, and goalkeeper Drake Callender made four saves — including one on a penalty kick late in the second half.
“We still have more goals to go after in the playoffs,” Callender said.
True, what was awarded Wednesday is not the prize Inter Miami wants most — the MLS Cup is still the biggie — but the shield represents the biggest step yet for the franchise that sputtered through the majority of its first three seasons, then saw everything change on June 7, 2023 when Messi stunned many in the soccer world by saying he was coming to South Florida to continue his career.
Messi's arrival, which was quickly followed by Busquets and Alba joining Inter Miami, helped the team win the Leagues Cup last year for its first trophy. And when Suarez made his long-rumored move to the club official by signing a one-year deal back in December, Inter Miami's spot as the MLS Cup favorite was further solidified.
So far, so good.
“The idea was clear from the beginning: to be protagonists, to want to control possession, and to challenge opponents through our style of play,” Messi said. “Then key players arrived, which made the team grow even more in terms of gameplay, personality and competitiveness.”
At 20-4-8, Inter Miami has 68 points with two matches left in the MLS season. In terms of playoff seed, those matches are meaningless. In terms of league history, they are not.
With two wins — Saturday at Toronto and then Oct. 19 against New England — Inter Miami could finish with 74 points. That would break New England's record of 73, set in 2021.
It's unclear how much Messi will play in either of those two remaining matches. Messi is expected to play for Argentina in World Cup qualifying matches on Oct. 10 (at Venezuela) and Oct. 15 (in Argentina against Bolivia). Then having to fly back to the U.S. and play again on Oct. 19, even if the points record is at stake, might seem a bit much to ask a week before the MLS postseason starts.
“I believe surpassing the points record is secondary,” Messi said. “While we have a nice opportunity to make history in that regard as well, I think it matters less.”
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer