Inter Miami wins Supporters' Shield with two goals from Messi

Inter Miami beat Columbus Crew three goals to two on Wednesday to secure first place in the MLS regular season and were awarded the Supporters' Shield trophy.

Lionel Messi opened the scoring in Columbus, Ohio, in the 45th minute and increased the lead with a spectacular free kick goal five minutes later.

In the second half, the home side managed to penetrate Drake Callender's defense twice, with goals from Uruguay's Diego Rossi ('46) and Colombia's Juan Camilo 'Cucho' Hernández ('61). However, the goals were too little too late after Luis Suarez found the back of the net ('48), courtesy of a mistake by The Crew goalkeeper Patrick Schulte.

With just over five minutes left in regular time, Callender saved a penalty kick from Hernandez and sealed the victory for David Beckham's side.

Miami delivers and dreams

"I'm very happy for this group," Messi told Apple TV in comments picked up by AFP. "At the beginning of the year we knew this was a group to fight for this."

The Supporters' Shield trophy, never before won by Inter, is the second Messi has lifted since landing in Miami after the 2023 edition of the Leagues Cup, the joint tournament between the North American and Mexican leagues.

The arrival of the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner in Miami in July 2023, accompanied first by Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba and then Luis Suarez, has completely transformed this franchise.

In its three seasons of existence, the team had failed to win any titles and last season, with Messi playing just six rounds, it did not even qualify for the playoffs.

First place in the regular phase will give Inter home field advantage in all MLS playoff ties, which get underway on October 23.

The team coached by Gerardo Martino is aiming to win its first MLS title in its history in the championship final on December 7.