MLS
Messi scores first MLS goal of the season to lead Inter Miami to victory
The Argentine forward, now joining his national team to face Uruguay and Brazil, played a key role in helping the Floridians get revenge on the team that eliminated them last season.

Messi lifts the ball over Guzan for what would be Inter's first goal.
Lionel Messi led Inter Miami's victory over Atlanta United (1-2), also scoring his first goal of the season in Major League Soccer (MLS). A triumph with a taste of revenge for the Floridian side, which was eliminated last season by the Georgians.
A result that looked like it would be repeated after Atlanta took the lead withan Emmanuel Latte Lath goal in the early stages of the match. However, the Argentine star made it 1-1 in the 20th minute with a great individual move that he finished with a fine finish past veteran goalkeeper Brad Guzan.
Last-gasp victory
From that point on, both teams had their chances, especially the visitors, who forced Guzan to save on three occasions. However, Inter turned the result in their favor in the closing stages of the match, this time witha rare goal by Fafá Picault in the 89th minute.
The Haitian, who had entered the pitch six minutes earlier, headed in a cross from the left that, thanks to a miscommunication by Guzan and defender Derrick Williams, slipped in after hitting a post. This result places Inter at the top of the Eastern Conference, with 10 points from four games.
Messi, focused on Argentina to face Uruguay and Brazil
Messi, who scored 20 goals in 19 games last season, played his second game of the 2025 season in Atlanta after being sidelined for several weeks with a muscle strain. The Albiceleste captain will now join his national team for the tough World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay (March 21) and Brazil (March 25).
His compatriot Javier Mascherano also went into the international break unbeaten on the Inter bench, which he inherited from Gerardo Martino after last year's unexpected elimination to Atlanta in the first round of the playoffs.
First point of the season for the reigning champions
In another of Sunday's three matches, the reigning champions, Los Angeles Galaxy, earned the first point from their catastrophic start to the season by drawing 1-1 with the Portland Timbers. Chilean Felipe Mora opened the scoring for Portland with a prompt finish on the edge of the six-yard box after a cross from David Da Costa. Since his arrival in MLS, Mora has 40 league goals.
In the 81st minute, Christian Ramírez chested down a long ball and scored with a soft touch to the goalkeeper's left to give the Galaxy the equalizer. The Angelino team thus broke the three-game losing streak with which it started the season, in which it misses the injured Riqui Puig, its leader in last year's title.
In another game, Nashville earned its second win of the season by beating the visiting Philadelphia Union 3-1.
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