Inter Miami CF (16W-6L-7D, 55 points) secured a dominant 0-4 win on the road over New York City FC to clinch its spot in the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs, with the Club advancing to postseason for a third straight year. A formidable performance from Royal Caribbean Icon of the Match Lionel Messi, who bagged a brace and dished out an assist, led the team to a third consecutive victory in regular season action. Midfielder Baltasar Rodríguez and striker Luis Suárez scored Inter Miami’s other goals on the night at Citi Field in New York City.
Lineup Notes
Inter Miami took the pitch with Óscar Ustari in goal; Ian Fray, Noah, Maximiliano Falcón, and Jordi Alba made up the back four; Mateo Silvetti, Rodrigo De Paul, Sergio Busquets and Rodríguez started in midfield; Messi and Suárez led the team in attack.
Notably, Academy product Allen reached 100 appearances for the Club, becoming the sixth player in Inter Miami history to achieve the milestone. Silvetti, meanwhile, recorded his first start since signing for the Club last month.
Match Action
Goalkeeper Ustari had a notable intervention to deny the hosts in the 21st minute, saving a header from Thiago Martins from the center of the box to keep the match scoreless.
Messi then nearly struck the opener in the 39th minute with a free kick that forced a diving save from the opposition’s goalkeeper at the right post.
Inter Miami broke the deadlock in the 43rd minute through a goal from Rodríguez. Busquets found Messi at the halfway line, before he fed a precise through ball into space for Rodríguez. The midfielder subsequently took a touch before slotting the ball at the right bottom corner for his second goal this regular season. The assist, meanwhile, took Messi’s tally to 13 assists this regular season, and the secondary assist took Busquets’ to eight.
Inter Miami doubled its lead in the second half, with Messi finding the back of the net in the 74th minute with a tidy chip over the keeper from inside the box to capitalize on an inch-perfect ball from Busquets. The goal was Messi’s 23rd this regular season as he now leads the race for the Golden Boot presented by Audi, while the assist was the ninth for Busquets this league campaign.
Inter Miami further extended its lead in the 83rd minute, with Suárez converting a penalty kick to record his seventh goal of the regular season.
Messi rounded out the win shortly after in the 86th minute, securing his brace with a finish to the far post after making his way into the box with a fantastic solo effort. The goal was his 24th this regular season as he capped off a stellar performance, recording two goals and an assist for a second game in a row. Notably, with his pair of goals on the night, our captain became the fourth player in MLS history to record eight multi-goal games in a single season, having scored two-or-more goals in eight of his last 12 league appearances.
The 0-4 scoreline held through the final whistle for Inter Miami to earn a third consecutive win this regular season and clinch its spot in the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs.
Post-Match Reaction
“We’re happy because now we’re officially qualified for the playoffs. That was very important for us. Now we have to keep moving forward. We know we have two games in hand, so now we’ll try to rest, recover, and get ready for Toronto,” said head coach Javier Mascherano.
Next Match
Next, Inter Miami will close out the week with another fixture on the road, as the team is set to face Toronto FC at BMO Field in Toronto, Canada this Saturday, Sept. 27 at 4:30 p.m. ET.
Stats
Possesion:
NYC - 50.2%
MIA - 49.8%
Shots:
NYC - 9
MIA - 12
Saves:
NYC - 4
MIA - 2
Corners:
NYC - 4
MIA - 5
Fouls:
NYC - 22
MIA - 9
