Matchday

Doblete! Lionel Messi loves scoring for Inter Miami vs. Orlando City

The GOAT added two second-half goals to his Inter Miami CF ledger in Saturday's 5-0 rout of Orlando City SC ā€“ giving the Argentine icon four braces since his MLS arrival last summer.

The second of those braces? It occurred in a 3-1 win over Orlando City last August en route to Inter Miami's 2023 Leagues Cup title.

In the latest Florida Derby at Chase Stadium, Messi's first goal (57') followed a wild sequence where Jordi Alba's chipped shot was cleared off the line by Orlando defender Robin Jansson directly onto the crossbar, allowing Messi to chest the ball down and see it trickle into the net.

The next tally (62') featured an assist from Luis SuƔrez, who crossed back-post for Messi to nod past goalkeeper Pedro Gallese. In the first half, SuƔrez scored a brace of his own.

In the Herons' young 2024 season, Messi now has 3g/2a in three matches. They'll return to action Thursday, starting their 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup campaign at Nashville SC (9 pm ET).