Messi helps Inter Miami book MLS playoff place with win over NYCFC

Lionel Messi set up a Rodrigo De Paul goal and helped create another as Inter Miami beat New York City FC 2-0 to book their place in the MLS playoffs on Wednesday.

German Berterame ended his scoring drought for Miami, who are second in the table and are now guaranteed at least a place in the wild card round with five games left, Dawn reported, citing AFP.

The match was played at the Nu Stadium in Miami.

Messi’s hand in both goals

Messi, who scored twice on Saturday after returning from Argentina’s emotional send-off match, was a constant threat.

• 20th minute: Messi trapped the ball outside the box and passed to De Paul, who found Luis Suarez on the byline with a looping diagonal ball. Suarez rolled it across goal for Berterame to finish, his first goal since May
• Half-time: on a quick counter, Messi drew in three defenders and laid the ball off with the outside of his left foot to De Paul, who slammed it high past the goalkeeper with the last kick of the half

Berterame was slightly fortunate in the build-up to the second goal, finding Messi with a mishit pass before the Argentine set up De Paul.

A new coach finds his feet

The win gave Cristian “Kily” Gonzalez his first back-to-back victories since taking over as head coach last month.

“I’m leaving happy. Obviously, there’s a lot to improve, but we’re making progress little by little,” Gonzalez said.

Messi, his teammates and the fans celebrated at the final whistle, with the Argentine applauding the crowd alongside Brazilian defender Casemiro at the Nu Stadium in Miami.

The second half

• Messi’s chance: he curled an effort from just outside the box over the bar
• Late save: as the clock hit 90, Messi played a short corner to De Paul, whose shot towards the top corner was tipped onto the post by US goalkeeper Matt Freese
• Penalty saved: deep in stoppage time, New York City won a penalty when Ian Fray brought down fellow substitute Talles Magno, but Dayne St. Clair dived low to his right to palm it around the post

It was Miami’s second straight clean sheet, after none in their previous 10 games. New York City have won just one of their last 11 MLS matches.

“I really liked how we handled dropping back into defensive shape. We didn’t get caught out on the counter and were very aggressive,” Gonzalez said. “Perhaps our ball circulation was a bit too slow at times, but that’s just how the game played out.”

Home advantage in sight

With first-placed Nashville out of reach in the Eastern Conference, the win tightened Miami’s grip on second place and home advantage in the playoffs.

Why it matters

Messi’s presence continues to make Inter Miami the team to watch in American football. With a playoff place secured, the champions can now focus on retaining their title. Read our report on Messi’s farewell for Argentina.

This article draws on reporting by Dawn and AFP.