Inter Miami CF (7W-3L-5D, 26 points) secured a 4-2 victory at home over CF Montréal tonight to return to winning ways this 2025 MLS regular season. Braces from captain and Royal Caribbean Icon of the match Lionel Messi and star striker Luis Suárez led Inter Miami’s win at Chase Stadium.
Lineup Notes
Inter Miami stepped onto the pitch with Óscar Ustari in goal; Ian Fray, Gonzalo Luján, Noah Allen and Jordi Alba formed the back four; Sergio Busquets and Federico Redondo started at the center of the park flanked by Tadeo Allende and Telasco Segovia; Messi and Suárez led the team in attack.
Match Action
Inter Miami was forced to make two early substitutions, followed by another at the half.
The team’s fortune, however, would change shortly after, with the hosts taking command of the game in the 27th with captain Messi scoring the opener. Following a great ball recovery in midfield and drive forward from Busquets, the midfield orchestrator handed over the ball to Messi on the right side of the pitch outside the box. The Argentine maestro would then take a couple touches to create space to his left before unleashing a left-footed shot to the bottom left corner that bounced off the post and to the back of the net. The goal took Messi’s team-leading tally to seven this regular season.
The match would then go into the break with a 1-0 lead for Inter Miami.
In the second half, goalkeeper Ustari had an instrumental double-save to deny Montréal attempts from inside the box in the 68th minute.
The team extended its lead immediately after on the other end through Suárez’s first of the night. Following a brilliant individual play with Messi battling to retain possession on the right end of the box, he served a precise ball for Suárez around the penalty spot. Suárez then brought the pass down before burying the ball in the back of the net with a right-footed volley to record his third goal this regular season. The assist, meanwhile, was Messi’s third this league campaign.
Three minutes later, Suárez secured his brace in the 71st minute to extend Inter Miami’s lead to 3-0. The Uruguayan legend was quick to capitalize on a poor clearance from a Montréal defender, finishing first time from close range to take his goal tally this regular season to four. Notably, with his second of the game, Suárez reached 32 goals across all competitions for Inter Miami and tied Leonardo Campana in second place amongst the leading scorers in Club history.
The visitors then shortened the deficit in the 74th minute with a goal from winger Dante Sealy.
As the match neared its end, some Messi magic saw him extend Inter Miami’s lead once more in the 87th minute. A sublime passing sequence from the team concluded with a give and go between Messi Suárez for our captain to break into the box and be left one on one against the keeper. He subsequently secured his brace on the night with a tidy chip to place the ball in the back of the net and take his team-leading scoring record this regular season to eight. The assist, on the other hand, was the seventh for Suárez, who remains as the teams top provider in the league this season.
Montréal then scored through Victor Loturi in the second minute of added time.
The 4-2 scoreline would then remain unchanged through the final minutes for Inter Miami to claim all three points at home in South Florida.
Post-match Reaction
“What this victory shows, above all, is that the team is united, that the team wants to get out of this situation, and that this is the way forward — everyone pulling in the same direction. These kinds of situations also end up strengthening you as a group, so hopefully we can take this as something that makes us stronger for the future.” said head coach Javier Mascherano.
Next Match
Next, Inter Miami will close out its three-match week at home hosting the Columbus Crew at Chase Stadium this Saturday, May 31 at 7:30 p.m. ET. Secure your tickets HERE!
Stats
Possession:
MIA - 52.6%
MTL - 47.4%
Shots:
MIA - 14
MTL - 10
Saves:
MIA - 4
MTL - 0
Corners:
MIA - 0
MTL - 2
Fouls:
MIA - 20
MTL - 10
