Inter Miami stars combined to score the club’s second goal of the night against LAFC. It started in the 51st minute with Busquets, who found Messi in the middle of the field. The GOAT would then record his first assist in MLS by placing a perfect through ball to Alba, who scored the second goal of the match and his first in MLS. It would be Messi's first of two assists on the night to secure a 3-1 win over LAFC.
Inter Miami remain undefeated since the arrival of the trio and are chasing an Audi MLS Cup Playoffs spot after being dead last in the Eastern Conference for most of the season. Going into next week's international break, Miami sit in 14th place in the East with 25 points, having won two games and tied one since resuming regular season play after winning Leagues Cup in August.
Messi found his former FC Barcelona teammate Jordi Alba in the 51st minute, and youngster Leo Campana in the 83rd minute, while Facu Farias scored in the 18th minute as Inter Miami remains unbeaten in the Messi era.
“You know what Leo is, what he can give inside the pitch. He gets the best of everyone,” Campana said in his Apple TV postgame interview.
Farias gave Inter Miami a 1-0 lead in the 14th minute on a sliding shot from just inside the penalty area after a long through ball from midfield by Tomas Aviles. It was Farias' first goal with Inter Miami in his third match and second start.
Messi had a prime scoring chance in the 38th minute, but his left-footed shot from near the penalty spot was deflected by McCarthy.
Alba made it 2-0 in the 51st minute when he scored from the center of the penalty area off a long through ball from Messi. Campana sealed the victory when he finished a two-on-one break with a left-footed goal off a Messi pass. The assists were Messi's first in MLS regular-season action.
Inter Miami started all six of their summer signings together for the first time: Messi, Farias, Aviles, Alba, Sergio Busquets and Diego Gomez.
Also helping power Inter Miami is forward Josef Martinez. The 30-year-old leads the team with six MLS goals and one assist in 21 appearances, including 16 starts. He has taken a team-high 35 shots, including 13 on target. Martinez scored in a 3-3 draw at Cincinnati on Aug. 23. He previously played for Atlanta United from 2017 to 2022, appearing in 131 matches and scoring 93 goals
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