The former Barcelona stars were fantastic, but none were better than than the superstar Argentine, who contributed to all three goals.
From an Inter Miami perspective, Saturday night's clash with Nashville SC felt like a movie you'd seen a thousand times before. It's familiar but never gets old. Seeing Lionel Messi run a game could never be boring and, at this point, it's never unexpected.
That's what we saw at Chase Stadium – latest edition of the Lionel Messi show. He scored two and assisted another for Sergio Busquets in a 3-1 win, one that, once again, came with a side dish of defensive disaster from the Herons backline.
Part of that aforementioned movie always seems to include defensive setbacks. Saturday's came early via a Franco Negri own goal. It only set up Messi and co. for a comeback, though, adding a bit of drama to a game that, by the end, had little left.
Messi scored his first in the 11th minute, getting back into the fray to finish off his own rebound. A bit later, he found Busquets with a goal straight out of La Masia as the Argentine's corner was placed right onto the Spaniard's head. By the time Messi scored his late penalty in the 81st minute, the game was done. It was a good night for Miami.
Well, not all good. Diego Gomez's injury adds another starter to the Herons' injury list. The Paraguayan's first-half exit will certainly leave Tata Martino worried as the injury bug continues to bite and bite.
For now, though, it was a night of celebrating for Miami. Messi was at his best again and, when that happens, the Herons will win a lot more than they lose.
GOAL rates Inter Miami's players from Chase Stadium…
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Drake Callender (6/10):
Had another nervy moment early, but did what he needed to do otherwise.
Franco Negri (4/10):
A rough own goal. Seemingly every week, a defender does something disastrous for Miami. Tonight was Negri's night.
Nicolas Freire (6/10):
Definitely struggled at times with Nashville's front two. Passing could have been better and he had a few tough moments with the opposing attackers. He survived, though, and that's all that counts.
Tomas Aviles (7/10):
A really solid game from the young defender, who has looked a bit better in recent weeks after some tough moments to start the season.
Marcelo Weigandt (6/10):
Needs to be cleaner on the ball, but he did well enough defensively on that right-hand side. Did get a bit too overzealous a few times in the second half, though.
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David Ruiz (6/10):
Picked up a dumb early yellow for kicking the ball away, which is something he'll need to learn to avoid. Other than that, was somewhat steady in midfield.
Sergio Busquets (8/10):
Any time you can get a goal from Busquets, it's probably going to be a good day. The Spanish midfielder doesn't score many, but this was a good one as his headed finish headlined another solid overall performance.
Julian Gressel (6/10):
Would have had an assist if not for an offside call. Other than that, nothing particularly spectacular.
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Diego Gomez (6/10):
Horrible, horrible luck for the Paraguayan, who has been one of the club's more consistent players this season. The Herons will now have to hope that his injury isn't too serious.
Luis Suarez (8/10):
It's usually Messi teeing up Suarez but, this time, it was the Uruguayan's turn to return the favor with an assist. Was unlucky not to get a goal or two of his own as Suarez was a menace all night long.
Lionel Messi (9/10):
Got his goal and then found Busquets for the second before sealing it with a late penalty. It all felt so familiar. Messi ran the show once again, dominating from the start as he terrorized the Nashville defense.
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Leo Afonso (6/10):
Came on and nearly got a goal just moments after replacing Gomez. Stepped into a tough situation and did well, earning the late penalty to help seal the game.
Yannick Bright (6/10):
Replaced Gressel to add some fresh legs to the midfield.
Banjamin Cremaschi (N/A):
Was given a few late minutes as he continued his injury comeback.
Tata Martino (7/10):
Martino's job is made a lot easier when his superstars step up. They did exactly that on Saturday night, leading the way in a good home win. Outside of that, he's left a bit hamstrung by injuries, but he managed his personnel as well as he could.