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Yannick Bright, Inter MiamiUSA Today

Yannick Bright's surprising rise has been a boost to Lionel Messi's Inter Miami in MLS run

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On July 20, Inter Miami beat Chicago, 2-1. It was hardly a soccer purist’s affair - more of a frantic mess. The two sides combined for 32 shots. And with no Lionel Messi for Miami, Tata Martino’s side struggled. Jordi Alba eventually scored the winner, but man of the match went to an industrious Italian center midfielder - one who just six months before was unsure where his professional career might lie. Yannick Bright had arrived. 

Born in Milan, developed in New Hampshire, and now scrapping in the middle of the park alongside Spain and Barcelona legend Sergio Busquets, the midfielder stands as proof for the U.S. college soccer system’s staying power. And for Miami, he has played an unexpected role in Messi and Co.’s MLS Cup hopes. 

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