- Lionel Messi dished out five assists in Inter Miami’s 6-2 win over New York Red Bulls
- Miami’s No. 10 assisted all three of Luis Suarez’s goals in his first hat trick as a Heron
- The Herons remain at the top of the Eastern Conference table with 24 points from 12 matches played
The former Barcelona figure set a new Major League Soccer record with a whopping five assists in the Herons’ 6-2 triumph over Red Bulls at Chase Stadium. Even though Miami conceded the first goal of the match for the fourth straight game, Messi and Co. clearly weren’t fazed as their second-half frenzy saw them score six goals in front of their fans – as Messi was involved in all six of his team’s goals.
Messi provided the assists for new signing Matias Rojas’ first two goals as a Miami player, while he also combined with his former Barcelona teammate Luis Suarez to aid his best friend’s first hat trick as a Heron.
Segundo GOLAZO de la noche para Matias 🔥😮💨 pic.twitter.com/Vo2F0lRce5
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) May 5, 2024
As Messi continued to dish out assists left and right, he also set a new MLS record as his five assists tallied are now the most-ever in a single league match. Messi now leads the league in both goals and assists with 10 and 12, respectively, and he doesn’t look like slowing down anytime soon — even with Copa America on the horizon.
If Messi wasn’t the MVP frontrunner before tonight, there’s simply no way he isn’t after 12 matches played. The 36-year-old was essentially toying with the Red Bull defense for most of the match and probably could have grabbed another assist or two if Miami didn’t go through such a sluggish start.
Luis Suarez rolls back the clock with vintage hat trick
Suarez has bagged two braces already for Miami against Orlando City and DC United earlier on in the campaign, but he finally managed a hat trick in a revenge game vs New York. Indeed, Suarez was in the starting lineup for Miami’s heavy 4-0 defeat on March 23 when Messi was unavailable due to a hamstring injury.
The Uruguayan proved that he still has some left in the tank to get it done against one of the better MLS defenses. For context, New York had conceded more than two goals just once prior to the match — a 3-0 defeat to current MLS Cup winners Columbus Crew.
Hat-trick del mejor 9️⃣ del Siglo 🇺🇾 pic.twitter.com/iS5g1o5bJl
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) May 5, 2024
Not only did Suarez display elite composure and finishing in front of goal, but his movement and hold-up play also wasn’t too shabby, either.
Messi and Suarez are now joint-top of the MLS Golden Boot standings with 10 goals apiece, and it’ll be tough for anyone to stop should them from racking up even more goals should they steer clear of injuries.
The iconic duo of Suarez and Messi no doubt put in their best performances as a Heron thus far and will be eager to continue on the same path before the upcoming Copa America tournament in the United States.
