It doesn't take much for Lionel Messi to create his own showcase, especially in MLS. He's been doing it for years at the highest level, producing performances defined by dominance. All of the ingredients were there Saturday and, unsurprisingly, Messi did what he does best: dominate.
Facing a wounded Toronto FC team, Messi scored one, assisted two, and set up another in a 4-2 Inter Miami win in Canada. Messi's goal was the fourth of the bunch, and the other three came from some of Miami's most recognizable stars: Rodrigo de Paul, Luis Suarez, and Sergio Reguillon, all of whom benefitted from moments of Messi magic. There has been plenty of that magic since Messi arrived, as, with his performance on Saturday, he became the fastest MLS player to reach 100 goal contributions.
De Paul's goal came first as he pounced on a blocked Messi free kick in the first half. Then came Suarez, who was teed up by his longtime Barcelona running mate 10 minutes into the second half. Then, three minutes after assisting substitute Reguilon, Messi got his goal in the 75th minute, putting the game to bed with an emphatic exclamation point.
Miami needed it, too. Sloppy defending led to two Toronto FC goals from Emilio Aristizabal, putting something of a defensive damper on a near-perfect attacking day. Without many of their own regulars, Toronto FC didn't have enough to stop Miami, though. Few teams can, in truth, and Messi's performances like this are generally the reason why.
GOAL rates Inter Miami's players from BMO Stadium...





