Lionel Messi and Inter Miami were held to a 2-2 draw at home against New York City FC in the opening match of the new Major League Soccer season on Saturday.
Miami, who set a regular season points record last year but were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, played most of the game with 10 men after Argentine defender Tomas Aviles was sent off.
Messi provided the assists for both of Miami’s goals, including the equalizer in the 10th minute of stoppage time.
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With new head coach Javier Mascherano making his MLS debut, replacing fellow Argentine Gerardo Martino, Miami introduced several new faces but struggled to find cohesion throughout much of the match.
The game began positively for Miami, who took the lead in the fifth minute. Messi threaded a pass to Aviles, who slotted the ball into the net.
However, things soon took a turn for the worse for the MLS Cup favorites. Forward Fafa Picault, one of the off-season arrivals, was forced off in the 10th minute due to a muscle injury.
Then, in the 23rd minute, the game’s momentum shifted when Aviles was sent off for a foul on Alonso Martinez just outside the box. From the resulting free-kick, Maxi Moralez capitalized on Miami’s defensive disarray, delivering a ball to the unmarked Mitja Ilenic, who finished into the bottom corner.
With a makeshift central defense pairing of Noah Allen and Ian Fray, Miami struggled to regain control, although substitute Robert Taylor forced a fine save from New York keeper Matt Freese just before halftime.
New York seemed poised to take the lead, and they did in the 55th minute, when Miami’s Alba misjudged a pass, gifting the ball to New York’s Martinez, who made no mistake in slotting it past Oscar Ustari.
Messi was isolated throughout much of the match, with minimal support from the largely ineffective Luis Suarez, who was substituted four minutes after New York’s second goal.
Freese denied Messi’s free-kick attempts, and Alba set up Federico Redondo, but the midfielder missed a great opportunity, shooting wide.
But in the 10th minute of stoppage time, Messi came through with a moment of brilliance, threading a perfectly weighted pass to Telasco Segovia. The Venezuelan made no mistake, lifting the ball over Freese to level the score.
“He’s the soul of this team,” said Mascherano. “You could see with what he did at the end. We need to keep him with this spirit because it’s not just what he does on the pitch, but what he transmits to his teammates.”
“He isn’t just playing in attack; he helps out in defense, running back, running in midfield. He’s magnificent.”
In other MLS action, Emmanuel Latte Lath made an impressive debut for Atlanta United, scoring twice in a 3-2 win over Montreal. The Ivorian striker, signed from Middlesbrough for a record $22 million, was instrumental in the victory.
Atlanta’s Colombian forward Edwin Mosquera scored the winner in the 85th minute with a brilliant curling shot.
The Philadelphia Union made a strong start under new South African coach Bradley Carnell, earning a surprising 4-2 win at Orlando City, with Tai Baribo scoring twice.
Togo international Kevin Denkey, a $16 million signing from Cercle Brugge, marked his debut for Cincinnati with a goal in their 1-0 win over the New York Red Bulls.
Diego Rossi netted twice for Columbus Crew, helping them to a 4-2 victory over Chicago Fire in Gregg Berhalter’s first match in charge.
On Sunday, champions Los Angeles Galaxy will face San Diego FC, the league’s newest club.
