Inter Miami CF captain Lionel Messi, defender Jordi Alba and goalkeeper Drake Callender have been named in the Team of the Matchday for Matchday 30 of the MLS 2023 regular season. The trio earned Team of the Matchday honors following their outstanding performances in Inter Miami’s 1-3 win on the road over LAFC at BMO Stadium this past Sunday.
Messi secured his place in the Team of the Matchday starting XI after recording two assists in the win against LAFC that saw the team extend its ongoing Club-record unbeaten streak to 11, earning Team of the Matchday honors for a second time. Messi landed his first assist in MLS as he connected with his former FC Barcelona teammate Jordi Alba for the second goal of the match in the 51th minute.
Then in the 83rd minute, he recorded his second assist of the night after picking up possession, driving forward and setting up Campana inside the box for the forward to send a shot into the back of the net. Messi has now tallied a goal and two assists in three MLS matches, while registering 11 goals and eight assists in 11 total Inter Miami appearances across all competitions.
Callender continued to perform spectacularly in net to earn a spot on the Team of the Matchday starting lineup. In Sunday’s win over LAFC, the goalkeeper made six saves and led the defensive line to help Miami secure an emphatic win. This Team of the Matchday honor marks Callender’s fifth Team of the Matchday selection this 2023 regular MLS season.
Spanish legend Jordi Alba, meanwhile, secured MLS Team of the Matchday honors for the first time after scoring his second goal for the Club and first in MLS in the win on the road over LAFC. The goal was a product of a combination between Inter Miami’s trio of international legends and former FC Barcelona teammates; Sergio Busquets played a clever ball to Messi, who controlled, turned, and slipped a ball through the defense to Alba’s run in the box, where the speedy defender continued his run and calmly beat the keeper to score the team’s second goal in the 1-3 win at BMO Stadium.
2023 Inter Miami Team of the Matchday Honorees:
- Matchday 1: Drake Callender and Sergii Kryvtsov
- Matchday 2: Phil Neville, Rodolfo Pizarro and Jean Mota
- Matchday 3: Drake Callender
- Matchday 5: Franco Negri
- Matchday 7: Drake Callender
- Matchday 10: Phil Neville, Franco Negri, and Leonardo Campana
- Matchday 11: Josef Martínez
- Matchday 23: Benjamin Cremaschi, Leonardo Campana, Josef Martinez
- Matchday 24: Drake Callender and Benjamin Cremaschi
- Matchday 28: Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino, Diego Gómez and Lionel Messi
- Matchday 29: Kamal Miller
- Matchday 30: Drake Callender, Jordi Alba and Lionel Messi
