Lionel Messi had a goal and an assist as Inter Miami defeated the Seattle Sounders 3-1 on Tuesday night, just over two weeks after falling to Seattle in the Leagues Cup final.
The matchup carried extra weight for Miami, which had lost 3-0 to the Sounders on Aug. 31.
This time, Messi quickly made his presence felt. In the 12th minute, he delivered a precise outside-of-the-foot pass that left Jordi Alba wide open in front of goal, giving Miami early control.
Messi nearly doubled the lead in the 28th minute when he ran onto a ball over the top and again tried finishing with the outside of his left foot.
The shot struck the post and bounced away.
Thirteen minutes later, Alba returned the favor, finding Messi darting through the box. Messi got just enough of a touch to make it 2-0 before halftime.
“I’m always looking for him, he’s always looking for me,” Alba said. “We’ve created a lot of goals and we hope it’s like that until the end of our careers.”
Miami extended the lead to 3-0 early in the second half when Ian Fray headed in a Rodrigo De Paul corner kick.
Reflecting on the win, Fray said the team used its previous loss as fuel.
“It was definitely a little extra motivation. After losing a game like that, you don’t forget it,” he said.
Seattle responded in the 69th minute when Obed Vargas scored, cutting the deficit to 3-1. The 19-year-old midfielder’s goal was one of few bright spots for the Sounders.
Messi came close to adding a second goal in the 76th minute, but Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei stopped his shot.
Inter Miami’s new signing Mateo Silvetti, who joined from Messi’s boyhood club Newell’s Old Boys in Argentina, made his debut in the closing minutes.
Miami played without Luis Suárez, who is serving a three-match MLS suspension for spitting on a member of Seattle’s coaching staff during the Leagues Cup final.
Tuesday’s game marked the second match of his ban.
Both teams now return to league play. Tthe Sounders travel to Austin FC on Sunday.
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