Messi scores fifth consecutive brace, new MLS record
The Argentine star gave Inter Miami the win against Nashville. With his two goals, he climbed to the top of the scoring charts, tying Sam Surridge with 16 goals.
Messi celebrates his first goal
Lionel Messi continues to set records. At the age of 38, the Inter Miami star has scored a brace in each of his last five MLS games, something no player has ever achieved in the league's three decades of existence.
His latest brace came just this Saturday in a 2-1 league win over Nashville. The Argentine star opened the scoring at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., with a free kick goal in the 17th minute.
After German Hany Mukhtar equalized in the 49th, Messi gave Inter the win in the 62nd by capitalizing on a blatant mistake by goalkeeper Joe Willis.
The Argentine captain also tied Nashville's Sam Surridge, as the league's top scorer, with 16 goals. Messi needed only 16 games to reach that figure, to Surridge's 22.
"There are not many words. It's incredible what he keeps doing, breaking records now every three days, not even every weekend," Javier Mascherano, Inter's coach, said of the achievement.
Messi began his streak at the end of May with goals against Montreal (4-2) and Columbus Crew (5-1). Inter then paused its MLS season to compete in the Club World Cup, where Messi scored one goal in four matches.
After a round of 16 exit at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain, Inter returned to domestic action with three wins in the last week against Montreal (4-1), New England Revolution (2-1) and Nashville, all of them driven by Messi's braces.
No rest
Nashville remains in third place in the conference but had its 14-game unbeaten streak broken.
In a marathon to catch up, Inter faces two more games next week, Wednesday on the road against FC Cincinnati and next Saturday also away against New York Red Bulls, where Mascherano could give Messi some time to recover.
“At some point we are going to have to find a space to give him some rest, we are going to talk about it day by day,” said the Argentine coach.
“He is feeling good, and when we think it is time to give him some rest, we will do it,” he said.
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