Inter Miami secured its spot in the MLS playoffs with a 2-0 away win over New York City, continuing its upward trajectory. The Florida-based team sealed the victory in the first half, with Lionel Messi once again playing a starring role—this time as a playmaker.
Herman Bertarame opened the scoring in the 20th minute, capitalizing on an assist from Luis Suárez and finding the back of the net for the first time since May 24. In stoppage time of the first half, the score became 0-2, when Rodrigo De Paul combined with Messi outside the box and fired a powerful shot into the top left corner.
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For Messi, it was yet another goal contribution in an outstanding regular season. The Argentine leads the race for the Golden Boot with 23 goals, while also topping the assists leaderboard with 14. Inter Miami thus reached 52 points in 29 games and climbed to second place in the Eastern Conference.
New York City had a chance to cut the deficit in stoppage time, but Nicolás Fernández missed from the penalty spot, with Dane St. Clair keeping a clean sheet. For Inter Miami, it was their second consecutive league victory under their new coach, following their emphatic 4-0 win over DC United, and now the 2025 champions are turning their attention to the playoff race.
*photo source: AP
