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Messi Exits Hampered, Miami Wins 6-4; World Cup Future Uncertain

5/26/2026

41 4 Full Breakdown

Summary

Messi Leaves Match

Lionel Messi (forward) left Inter Miami’s May 24, 2026 match with a left hamstring overload, exiting in the 73rd minute.
Inter Miami still won 6-4, scoring two goals after Messi’s exit.
Argentina’s World Cup camp starts a week later in Kansas City, leaving Messi’s participation in doubt for matches against Honduras in College Station, Texas on June 6, Iceland in Auburn, Alabama on June 9, and Algeria in Kansas City on June 16.

Summary

Suárez Hat-trick

Inter Miami beat Nashville SC 6-4, producing ten goals, the second-highest MLS total and a record for most goals in a half.
Luis Suárez recorded a hat-trick, the first for Inter Miami this season.
The win lifted Miami to a 9-2-4 record with 31 points, extending its streak and leaving it two points behind league-leader Nashville SC after heavy rain made the pitch slick and fueled the second-half scoring.

Summary

Messi Travels

Lionel Messi will travel to Argentina’s June 1 pre-tournament camp in Kansas City with teammate Rodrigo De Paul, pending clearance.
He expects the 2026 World Cup, where he will turn 39, to be his last.
Messi entered 2026 as a back-to-back MLS MVP after posting 12 goals and eight assists in 14 matches.
He has amassed 107 goal contributions—62 goals and 45 assists—in 67 Inter Miami games, starting 59.

Summary

Messi Exits

Coach Guillermo Hoyos said Lionel Messi left because of fatigue and the field, not injury, and he had not spoken with Messi after the game.
Philadelphia Union sit last in MLS with a 1-10-4 record.
A VAR handball on Sergio Reguilón set up Iloski’s goal to tie the match 4-4.
Inter Miami’s 9-2-4 record leaves them second in the Conference, two points behind Nashville, with MLS resuming in late July.

History

Historical Context

In January 2007 David Beckham announced a five-year, $50 million contract with the LA Galaxy, prompting MLS to create the Designated Player rule and driving a surge in ticket sales and sponsorships. The deal gave the league its first global headline and the effect echoed years later when Beckham’s Inter Miami debuted in 2020, generating comparable media attention.

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Messi Leaves Match

Lionel Messi (forward) left Inter Miami’s May 24, 2026 match with a left hamstring overload, exiting in the 73rd minute.
Inter Miami still won 6-4, scoring two goals after Messi’s exit.
Argentina’s World Cup camp starts a week later in Kansas City, leaving Messi’s participation in doubt for matches against Honduras in College Station, Texas on June 6, Iceland in Auburn, Alabama on June 9, and Algeria in Kansas City on June 16.

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