![Messi Scores Twice As Inter Miami Edge Columbus Crew To Win MLS Supporters’ Shield [VIDEO]](https://informantonline.com.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/m0s0q.jpg "Messi Scores Twice As Inter Miami Edge Columbus Crew To Win MLS Supporters’ Shield [VIDEO]")
Lionel Messi netted two goals as Inter Miami triumphed over the defending Major League Soccer (MLS) champions, Columbus Crew, with a score of 3-2, securing the Supporters’ Shield, awarded annually to the team with the best regular-season record.
The victory on Wednesday marked Messi’s 46th career trophy and provided Inter Miami with an opportunity to secure home-field advantage in the upcoming MLS playoffs.
This win further extends Messi’s record for the most major trophies won by any men’s football player in history.
It also marks the second title he has achieved with Inter Miami, following the Leagues Cup trophy that the Herons clinched shortly after Messi’s arrival at the club in 2023.
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“We knew this was a group that could fight for this [trophy],” Messi said after the match.
Luis Suarez also found the net for Inter Miami, who will begin a best-of-three first-round playoff series in the final weekend of October.
Should they win that series, they will secure the right to host every subsequent match for the remainder of the season, which includes the Eastern Conference semifinal (scheduled for November 23 or 24), the Eastern Conference final (November 30 or December 1), and the MLS Cup final on December 7.
“We have a nice opportunity to go down in history … and now we think about what is coming,” Messi added.
“We have a great advantage in that we play all the games at home, which was what we were looking for. I think that we are very, very strong at home.”
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Inter Miami coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino was delighted with the “dominant” performance by his club.
“December 7 is what we want,” Martino said, referring to the MLS Cup final, “but this is not insignificant today.”
Messi missed 15 of Inter Miami’s MLS matches in 2024 due to commitments with Argentina’s national team and a two-month recovery period for a severely injured ankle. This injury occurred during Argentina’s successful run to the Copa America title in July.
“Throughout the year we had many, many injuries, where we couldn’t all be together … but the group was getting the most out of every tough game,” the Argentina legend said.
The MLS champion is decided through the MLS Cup playoffs, where Eastern Conference rivals Columbus Crew and Inter Miami could potentially face each other again.
Additionally, Inter Miami is still in contention for the best regular-season record in MLS, having reached 68 points with their latest victory.
If the club wins their remaining two matches against Toronto and New England, they would finish with 74 points, setting a new single-season points record.
See video below:
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