Inter Miami and Lionel Messi's unbeaten streak rolls on, as the south Florida side made light work of reigning MLS Cup champions LAFC by winning 3-1 in their bid to qualify for the playoffs.
Hype surrounded the West vs East coast clash leading up to the game, but as Messi has done thus far with the Herons, he had the final say on the game as he dished out two assists to propel his team to victory.
Summer signing Facundo Farias scored his first goal in a Miami shirt and was lively throughout the match for head coach Gerardo 'Tata' Martino's side.
A brilliant passing sequence saw Sergio Busquets and Messi combine before Jordi Alba rounded the move off with a simple finish to double Miami's lead. An exquisite pass from the 2022 World Cup winner put Alba through on goal and the former Spain international defender made no mistake in front of net.
Messi, now up to 11 goals and five assists in only 11 appearances, has his eyes set on more glory should the Herons do the unthinkable by finishing the regular season in a playoff spot.
"The group is growing more. I've been saying it since the beginning of all of this, we were lucky to get in a tournament and get to a final," said Messi in Spanish to MLS Season Pass after the game.
With Messi in the mix, anything is possible for Miami, and the 36-year-old wants his team to go all the way for MLS Cup later this fall.
"Now, we're going to look to hit the objective of being among the best eight to try and win the league. This is the way. We continue growing and obviously winning provides a lot of confidence," Messi added.
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Martino was proud of his side's performances against of the best teams in MLS: "We've had a lot of really tough games, but yes, we feel that given the quality of the rival, tonight has been the most complex, and where we’re competed the best through 90 minutes.
"In other games we've paused; at some moments we have been dominated. But in today's game we competed well and I say that because I think Los Angeles is a very, very good team."
Miami, still in 14th place in the Eastern Conference with 25 points, are eight points away from a playoff spot and will gear up to take on Sporting Kanasas City at DRV PNK Stadium on September 9. It'll be another huge test for Miami, as KC have been in top form of late and the Herons will be without the likes of Messi, Benjamin Cremaschi, Josef Martinez and Drake Callender.
"We had spoken about it before the game, that it would be a good test for us to see where we really are and what we’re capable of," Messi stated. "It was a difficult place to play on against a very good rival, the current champions. We walk away with a very important result for what's coming."
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This article was originally published on 90min as Lionel Messi reveals lofty Inter Miami ambitions after LAFC win.