Category: Soccer

The Luis Suarez to Inter Miami talks are heating up and the Uruguayan star forward could sign as early as December. On Wednesday, Spanish newspaper El Pais, which has covered Suarez closely since his days with FC Barcelona, reported that a deal reuniting Suarez with his former Barcelona teammates Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba is in the works and could be finalized before the year’s end. Suarez, 36, said in a previous interview that Inter Miami officials contacted Brazilian club Gremio, where he currently plays, in July, around the time Messi, Busquets and Alba signed, but no...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Lionel Messi played the entire game on artificial turf in Inter Miami’s season finale on Saturday night, and Charlotte FC qualified for the MLS playoffs with a 1-0 victory. Messi shared the spotlight with Charlotte’s bid to qualify for the postseason on the last day of the regular season in a game that drew 66,101 at Charlotte’s 74,000-seat Bank of America Stadium. Messi, who led Argentina to the 2022 World Cup title, was the clear drawing card, and thousands in attendance were adorned in “Messi 10” jerseys. The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner as the world’s top player went the...

SAO PAULO — Lionel Messi hit the post twice after he came off the bench but struggled to deliver a strong performance following his return from injury, but Argentina managed to beat Paraguay 1-0 on Thursday in a South American World Cup qualifying match. The World Cup winners picked up their third victory in three matches of the round-robin competition. The only goal of the match came in the third minute after a corner kick that found Nicolás Otamendi free from marking in the penalty box. The defender smashed the ball into the net with a left-foot volley. The 36-year-old Messi has felt muscular...

FORT LAUDERDALE — Lionel Messi’s entry into the game in the second half wasn’t enough as Inter Miami surrendered a late goal in a 1-0 loss to FC Cincinnati on Saturday night, ending their postseason hopes. The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, who had missed five of his last six games because of a leg injury, was not in the starting lineup but was expected to play at some point in the match. Anticipating a second-half appearance, fans at DRV PNK Stadium screamed his name when Messi and teammates began warmups along the sidelines in the second half. The screams intensified as Messi approached the...

FORT LAUDERDALE — Thousands of pink No. 10 Lionel Messi jerseys nearly filled DRV PNK Stadium Wednesday night for the highly anticipated U.S. Open Cup final between Inter Miami and the Houston Dynamo, but the Argentine icon was not wearing one. Messi, bothered by a nagging old injury, was not in uniform and left off the Miami roster. He showed up shortly before kickoff in street clothes and watched the game from the field-level suites, where French legend Zinedine Zidane, Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham, and Dynamo co-owner James Harden were among the dignitaries in attendance. The Argentine...

Lionel Messi returned to Inter Miami’s lineup on Wednesday night. It was a short-lived comeback, however, but his team rolled after he departed in the first half. Messi was subbed off in the 37th minute of Inter Miami’s match against Toronto, after spending a few minutes laboring with what appeared to be a leg issue. Miami came up big without him, winning 4-0 to move within five points of the final playoff spot in Major League Soccer’s Eastern Conference. Robert Taylor, who came on for Messi, had two goals and an assist. But Messi’s status overshadowed all that. The 36-year-old Messi had missed...

FORT LAUDERDALE — With Lionel Messi out of the lineup to play in a pair of World Cup qualifiers for reigning champion Argentina, Inter Miami got two goals from Leonardo Campana and hung on to beat Sporting Kansas City 3-2 on Saturday night. Facundo Farias added the third goal for Miami (8-14-4), which remains 14th in the Eastern Conference table, but only six points behind the team in the last playoff spot, D.C. United. However, D.C. has played two more games than Inter Miami. The match was a test for Miami, which is 11-0-1 in cup and MLS matches since Messi’s arrival with the club. He already...

Anywhere, anytime, Inter Miami can’t lose. Even with Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets not starting Saturday night against the New York Red Bulls, it didn’t end up being a massive blow, as Inter Miami —without four other regular starters — played a smooth, comfortable match to a 2-0 win. It’s Inter Miami’s first regular-season win since May 15, ending the club’s winless streak at 11 games. Fans chanted “We want Messi!” numerous times throughout the night as he began the match on the bench for the first time since his debut against Cruz Azul. Their wishes were finally granted in the 60th minute...