Buenos Aires Herald 
Lionel Messi scored a last minute goal in his first Major League Soccer (MLS) game, and Inter Miami beat New York Red Bulls 2-0 at Red Bull Arena in New Jersey on Saturday.
The first goal of the match was scored in the 37th minute by Diego Gómez. After spending 60 minutes on the bench, Messi sealed the game with a goal in the 89th minute.
Messi scored the goal after setting it up with a pass to 18 year-old Argentine-American player Benjamin Cremaschi.
It was Messi’s 11th goal for his new team in the nine games he has played in the past month. Since his arrival in South Florida at the end of July, he led the Herons to win the Leagues Cup on August 19 — their first title ever — and make it to the US Open Cup final last Wednesday, after eliminating MLS’ top ranked team FC Cincinnati on penalties.
This was a much-needed win for Inter Miami. The team is so far having one of its worst seasons, with just five wins, three draws and 14 losses. The Herons sit at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with 18 points. FC Cincinnati are the leaders with 51 points.
Before the arrival of Messi, coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino and the Spaniards Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets, Inter Miami had only won two of its previous 13 games. Aside from a win in the US Open Cup, its last MLS victory before Saturday was on May 13, when they beat New England 2-1.
Martino had warned last week that staple players like Messi would not be playing the full 90 minutes of the match to let them rest after the Leagues Cup win. However, he called the Argentine star to play in the last half hour of the match along with Busquets and Josef Martínez.
This is Inter Miami’s first MLS win after 11 lost matches in the league. Thanks to the three points earned in the game, the team moved away from the last place in the Eastern Conference.
Argentines Tomás Avilés (former Racing player) and Facundo Farías (former Colón from Santa Fe province) were starting players, and Argentine-American Cremaschi joined the match in the second half.
The next fixture for Inter Miami is on Wednesday against Nashville SC, the team they beat by penalties in the Leagues Cup final. After that, they will play against California’s Los Ángeles FC.
After winning the 2023 Leagues Cup, Inter Miami also earned a spot in the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup knockout round, a continental contest that gathers teams from North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.
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— with information from Télam
