Inter Miami striker Lionel Messi scored twice in a win over the Columbus Crew on Wednesday in Columbus, Ohio. File Photo by Allison Dinner/EPA-EFE
Lionel Messi, who fell short of making the MLS playoffs in his first season with Inter Miami, led the Herons to the best record and Supporters’ Shield honors in 2024, but says he is only “thinking of the next objective.”
Messi made the comments after leading the Herons to a 3-2 win over the Columbus Crew on Wednesday in Columbus, Ohio. The win sealed the Supporters’ Shield — awarded to the team with the best record in MLS — for the Herons for the first time in franchise history. Advertisement
“I am happy to secure the first objective, and we’re thinking of the next,” Messi said on the Apple TV broadcast.
Messi scored two first-half goals in Wednesday’s win. Fellow striker Luis Suarez added a third Herons score in the 48th minute. Diego Rossi and Cucho Hernandez scored second-half goals for the Crew.
The Herons (20-4-8) totaled 68 points through 32 games this season, 11 more than the second-place Crew (16-6-9), won last year’s MLS Cup playoff finale. FC Cincinnati (17-10-5), who won the 2023 Supporters’ Shield and lost to the Crew in last year’s semifinal round, sit in third place in the 2024 standings. Advertisement
Messi’s 17 goals are tied for fourth-most in the league, but his 1.07 goals per 90 minutes are the most among players with at least three scores. He is tied for third in MLS with 15 assists, but ranks first among players with at least five assists with 0.95 per 90 minutes.
Suarez ranks third in MLS with 18 goals.
“I am happy,” Messi said. “Happy that we did it. At the beginning of the year, we knew that this was a group to fight for this. We took charge from the beginning, we had the players to do this.”
Wednesday’s win secured Messi’s 46th career title. An MLS crown would add a 47th trophy to his crowded case, which includes 10 Spanish La Liga trophies, four Champions League crowns and 2022 World Cup hardware, in addition to the top prize the Herons earned at the 2023 Leagues Cup.
The Herons lost just one game with Messi in their lineup this season.
They will face Toronto FC at 4 p.m. EDT Saturday in Toronto and will host the New England Revolution in their regular-season finale Oct. 19 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
The Herons can set the MLS single-season record for points by winning their final two games. Advertisement
The MLS Cup playoffs will be Oct. 23 to Dec. 7.
“Our goal is to get to Dec. 7,” Herons manager Tata Martino told reporters. “We would like to play in [next summer’s] Club World Cup, and we are justifying why we could go, not just because of the names on our roster, but because of how we’re playing.
“It would be more just and mean more if we earn it, and this Supporters’ Shield was very important for us.”
