Lionel Messi continued his scoring streak, offering the lone spotlight for Inter Miami as its 10-match successful streak in Major League Soccer got here to an finish in opposition to Atlanta United, which secured its first league victory in virtually two months.
Saba Lobjanidze scored a objective in every half, with Jamal Thiare including one other within the 73rd minute, main Atlanta United to a 3-1 win on Wednesday evening.
This victory marked the tip of Atlanta United’s nine-match winless streak in MLS play, throughout which it had gone 0-5-4 since its 3-0 victory over Chicago on March 31.
Atlanta United maintained management all through the match, by no means falling behind. Lobjanidze scored late within the first half to provide his crew the lead after which added one other within the 59th minute. Following Messi’s objective, Atlanta United adopted a defensive strategy, conserving all 10 subject gamers in its defensive finish at any time when Inter Miami had deep possession within the closing half-hour.
Messi’s objective was his eleventh of the MLS season, tying him with Luis Suarez for the crew lead.
Despite the loss, Inter Miami (10-3-4, 34 factors) retained a one-point lead on the prime of the Eastern Conference and the general MLS standings over Cincinnati (10-3-3, 33 factors), which missed a possibility to say the highest spot by shedding to Nashville on Wednesday evening.
“We were missing a gear,” Inter Miami coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino mentioned via an interpreter.
Inter Miami entered Wednesday with a 7-0-3 document in its final 10 MLS matches. It is now 10-0-4 when permitting two targets or fewer in MLS play this season – and 0-3-0 when surrendering three targets or extra.
“I’d say it was a night where the team went backward from other matches,” Martino mentioned.
So, Wednesday was a dud. The first half of the season, although, has gone largely to plan.
With 34 factors via precisely half the MLS schedule – matching its complete from the entire 2023 season, when Messi joined across the halfway level and helped the crew win the Leagues Cup however could not get it into the playoffs – Inter Miami is on tempo for 68 factors this season.
Mathematically, sure, that is right.
Realistically, effectively, in all probability not a lot.
The plan, for now, requires Messi to play at the very least some minutes when Inter Miami performs host to St. Louis on Saturday. After that, Messi might be buying and selling Inter Miami’s pink package for the blue of Argentina – enjoying for the nation as an alternative of the membership for a bit.
Copa America – the 16-team match which runs from June 20 via July 14 – is looming, with Messi set to play for defending champion Argentina and Suarez a risk to play for Uruguay. They could miss MLS matches when Inter Miami performs at Philadelphia (June 15), versus Columbus (June 19), at Nashville (June 29), at Charlotte (July 3), and at Cincinnati (July 6). Following the Copa America closing, Miami additionally has dwelling matches in opposition to Toronto (July 17) and Chicago (July 20).
Unlike most leagues, MLS schedules video games throughout some FIFA fixture durations, when the discharge of gamers to nationwide groups is necessary. And after Copa, it will appear seemingly that Inter Miami could lose some gamers once more when nationwide groups name for the Paris Olympics.
Messi had some alternatives within the early going, together with a diving header about 4 minutes into the match off a chip into the center of the field by Jordi Alba. Messi, heading off some contact, despatched the ball into the turf and the carom spun over the crossbar; he gave Alba a thumbs-up for the concept as he picked himself up from the grass with a smile.
And within the twenty first minute, Messi despatched a chip towards the left submit – simply over a leaping Robert Taylor, who would have had loads of internet to purpose for had he been capable of try the header.
His objective within the 63rd minute was a typical Messi masterpiece, threading a ball between two defenders and simply inside the fitting submit, barely out of the attain of a diving Atlanta goalie, Josh Cohen.
Source: www.dailysabah.com