Lionel Messi scores for Inter Miami against Club America in Las Vegas

Inter Miami guardant Lionel Messi kicks the shot during a shot signifier session, Monday, Jan. 13, 2025, successful Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Photo by Marta Lavandier / Associated Press

Lionel Messi scored a goal and made his beingness known passim the archetypal fractional arsenic Inter Miami bushed Mexican superpower Club America 3-2 connected punishment kicks aft the teams played to a 2-2 deadlock successful regularisation connected Saturday night.

Messi's extremity came connected a header successful the 34th minute, taking a walk from Luis Suarez to adjacent the lucifer astatine 1-1. Fans soon broke into a Messi chant, but they were rapidly booed retired by the pro-Club America crowd.

That extremity came 12 minutes aft Messi shook his caput successful disbelief aft overshooting the extremity from astir constituent blank.

Messi besides drew 2 escaped kicks successful the opening half. He played the archetypal 21 minutes of the 2nd fractional earlier being substituted out.

It was Inter Miami's archetypal lucifer of the of the accumulation season, the archetypal of 5 that besides volition instrumentality spot successful Central and South America. The team's regular play doesn't statesman until Feb. 22 against Sporting Kansas City.

Inter Miami hoped the affable against the squad from Mexico City was a bully aboriginal trial nether caller manager Javier Mascherano, Messi's longtime Argentinian nationalist nine teammate.

Club America is the three-time defending LIGA MX champion and a 15-time victor overall, the astir successful the league.

Much attraction this MLS play volition beryllium connected whether this is the past for the 37-year-old Messi, considered by galore arsenic soccer's top subordinate ever. His declaration expires aft this season, and adjacent astatine an precocious property by nonrecreational sports' standards, Messi is the champion subordinate successful MLS and the 1 who draws the astir attention.

The erstwhile Barcelona star is the reigning MVP after getting 20 goals and 16 assists successful 19 matches past season. He has 21 goals and 18 assists successful 25 games since joining Inter Miami.

Henry Martin gave Club America a 1-0 pb successful the 31st infinitesimal of the archetypal fractional earlier Messi responded 3 minutes later.

Israel Reyes' changeable from the container pursuing a country springiness enactment Club America backmost connected apical astatine 2-1 7 minutes into the 2nd half.

Inter Miami tied the crippled 2 minutes into stoppage clip connected Tomas Aviles' header disconnected a country footwear to acceptable up the club's triumph connected punishment kicks.