Lionel Messi made it one step closer for Inter Miami to be the top seed in the MLS Cup playoffs.
The club is still in the running for the MLS single-season points record as well.
Inter Miami tied Charlotte FC 1-1 on Saturday night, and Messi scored in the 67th minute. They have now gone eight straight Major League Soccer games without losing. Messi scored his 15th goal in 16 league games this season.
Messi became the sixth player in MLS history to score at least 15 goals and set up at least 15 others in a single season. He did this even though he missed 15 league games for Inter Miami.
Inter Miami is eight points ahead of the Crew for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference after the tie and Columbus’ 2-2 draw with D.C. United on Saturday. They are also seven points ahead of the LA Galaxy in the race for the top spot in the MLS playoffs.
Wednesday, Inter Miami plays at Columbus. If they win, they’ll be the No. 1 overall seed and also win the Supporters Shield as the regular-season champions. Columbus (16-5-9) has 57 points with four games left, while Inter Miami (19-4-8) has 65 points with three games left.
“We are playing a great team that is after us in the Supporters Shield,” Gerardo “Tata” Martino, the coach of Inter Miami, said. “This game is important, but so are the ones against Toronto and New England.” We’ll be ready for the rest of the events.
But first, there’s the game against Columbus, and Inter Miami knows what’s at stake.
A defender named Jordi Alba said, “It’s very important.”
The Supporters Shield would give Inter Miami the home field advantage during the playoffs, even for a possible MLS Cup final on December 7. They will have 74 points, one more than the MLS record of 73 points set by New England in 2021 if they win.
Inter Miami got a little help from D.C. United on Saturday. Columbus had a 2-1 lead late in the second half but gave up the equaliser in the 81st minute. If they hadn’t, the Crew would have been two points closer to Inter Miami in the standings, which would have made Wednesday’s game much more interesting.
Messi’s goal was as brilliant as always. He took a pass near the top of the penalty area, dribbled once, and then shot with his left foot, going through four players and into the net to tie the game.
Charlotte (11-11-9, 42 points, seventh in the East) scored first 10 minutes earlier when Karol Swiderski deflected a shot into the net.
But Messi scored again, and Inter Miami settled for a third straight tie. The team has won five of its last three league games and is 9-1-3 in MLS play since June 1.
“Obviously, we’re upset about the three ties in a row,” Martino said. “But the story goes on.”
In the last few seconds, Inter Miami had two great chances. In the 10th minute of extra time, Messi tried to get a shot at the winning goal after being tripped near the top of the penalty area. There was no foul call, even though one would have almost definitely led to a penalty shot. About two minutes later, on the last play of the game, Luis Suarez missed a clear chance to score from a yard out.
After this game, Inter Miami would not play another home game until the end of the regular season. Next up for the team is a game at Columbus on Wednesday. On October 5, they travel to Toronto, and on October 19, they play their last game.