Lionel Messi is well-established at Inter Miami CF. Messi scored twice in the 22nd minute of the first half in his MLS regular-season debut against Atlanta United on Tuesday. Messi has scored three goals in two games for Inter Miami, his first coming in the League Cup as a substitute. Messi started for Inter Miami on Tuesday and wore the captain’s armband.
Messi’s first goal came with a well-timed through ball from former Barcelona team-mate Sergio Busquets. Messi missed the first try and hit the right post, but grabbed the rebound to open an MLS account and give Inter Miami the lead in the eighth minute.
Messi’s second came just over ten minutes later, in the 22nd minute. Messi passed the ball wide to new teammate Robert Taylor and ran into the box. Inter Miami star striker Joseph Martínez pulled the defense into the goal, giving Messi plenty of room to win the ball back from Taylor and score.
According to Opta Sports, Messi has scored against 100 different opponents in his senior career. According to Opta Sports, Taylor scored a goal before half-time to give Inter Miami a 3-0 lead, giving Inter Miami a 3-0 half-time lead for the first time in the club’s history.
Before Tuesday’s game, Inter Miami were last in the MLS Easter Conference with a record of 5-3-14.