Miami (AFP) – Lionel Messi scored his first goal since his father’s death but Inter Miami had to settle for a 2-2 Major League Soccer draw on Wednesday against the Philadelphia Union. The Argentine superstar gave Miami a 2-1 lead in the 26th minute with a trademark curling left-footed shot into the far corner. After a restrained celebration with teammates, in which he allowed himself a brief smile, the Miami captain did his trademark celebration of pointing toward the sky over Philadelphia.
Messi was instrumental in Miami’s first goal just five minutes earlier as he picked up a run down the left flank from Uruguayan forward Luis Suarez, who headed the ball across for a close-range finish by young American Daniel Pinter. The hosts secured a point thanks to goals from Indiana Vassilev in the 11th minute and Neil Pierre in the 58th. “We came to win but we couldn’t,” said Miami coach Guillermo Hoyos. “We’re not happy with the draw because we don’t like it, but now we need to try to rest and think about the next game, which is in less than 72 hours,” he added, referring to Saturday’s meeting with Toronto FC.
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Messi, 39, moved into second place on the league’s scoring chart with 13 goals, three behind Croatian Peter Musa, who scored two for Dallas in a 3-4 victory at Real Salt Lake on Wednesday. Miami’s talisman had failed to find the net in the two matches played since he returned from Argentina after the death of his father, Jorge, on August 8. In those two games, Miami lost 3-2 to Mexican side Leon to be eliminated from the Leagues Cup before enduring a 4-1 MLS defeat to Nashville in which Messi missed a penalty.
Miami have now gone four matches without a victory and are seven points behind Eastern Conference leaders Nashville. They beat New York Red Bulls 1-0 on Wednesday. In a clash of two stars recently arrived in MLS, Robert Lewandowski converted the game-winning penalty in the Chicago Fire’s 2-1 victory over Antoine Griezmann’s Orlando City. The Fire notched their sixth straight win—including three in Leagues Cup play—in a contest halted by more than an hour by inclement weather.
Puso Dithejane put the visitors ahead in the fourth minute, and that’s where it stood when lightning halted play. David Brekalo pulled Orlando level with a 52nd-minute header, but Polish star Lewandowski, who signed with Chicago in June, drew a penalty when he was brought down in the box by Swedish center-back Robin Jansson and delivered from the spot with a kick that sent Maxime Crepeau the wrong way. Griezmann had a chance to equalize in the 77th minute on a counterattack but brushed the post. The victory moved Chicago into third place in the East, four points behind Miami with a game in hand.
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