The World Cup winner from Argentina, who participated in the full match, dispelled any doubts about his fitness for the early part of the season with a strong showing for the title favourites set by the bookies.
Coach Gerardo Martino described Messi, who was injured late in the previous season and missed a portion of the preseason, as “loose, fine, and showed a lot of speed.”
In front of a packed house, midfielder Sergio Busquets, left defender Jordi Alba, and debutante Luis Suarez—the other three members of Miami’s erstwhile Barcelona quartet—all made their debuts.
In the eighteenth minute, Messi nearly opened the score against a cautious Salt Lake team with a curling free-kick from thirty yards out that was cleared off the line by
The crowd erupted in applause as he chipped the ball over a player who was on the ground to avoid being blocked from reaching the outside of the box, and he then attempted a shot that was blocked.
However, Miami took the lead when eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Sergio Busquets of Spain found Messi. Taylor, a forward from Finland, skillfully slipped the ball through to beat RSL goalie Zac MacMath with a low effort.
Although the goal encouraged the visitors to open up after the break and their more aggressive approach caused some issues for Inter, the goalie should have saved the attempt.
For Salt Lake, Cristian Arango hammered a half-chance high over the bar. Then, following a careless turnover by Busquets, Andres Gomez raced goalward but missed.
Miami labored in the first half of the second half and suffered the price for their lack of accuracy as the Utah team should have taken advantage of more of the space they discovered.
He descended more deeply to retrieve the ball and used his signature close control and quick forward bursts to launch multiple attacks.
The 36-year-old dribbled down the inside left channel to create space for Julian Gressel to receive a cross at the back post, but the German missed the mark from a close distance.
The Paraguayan midfielder Diego Gomez was next set up by Lionel Messi, who again broke out from deep to find Suarez, who then put the ball low into the far corner to make it 2-0.
With Messi slipping to Gomez, who then fed Suarez, the trio nearly came together again for a third, but MacMath’s outstretched leg prevented the Uruguayan’s attempt.
Martino was ecstatic to see two of his cast’s less well-known members hit the mark.
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This is how a team should operate. Although Robert and Diego have scored goals and Messi and Suarez have been the assistance, Luis and Leo would often be the ones most linked to the goal, he said.
The ex-coach of Barcelona, Argentina, and Mexico expressed his confidence that Messi and Suarez would be able to relive some of the magic they had displayed during their seasons at Camp Nou.
He remarked, “They know each other so well, but we need to find that partnership that has already succeeded in Barcelona.”
It was a good start to the season for Taylor, who had great success shortly after Lionel Messi joined the team and was a vital member of the squad that won the Leagues Cup.
Although there are still some issues that need to be resolved, it’s the start that we were hoping for. Though it’s only the first game of the season, the three points are a good start, and we’ll build on it, the player stated. On Sunday, Inter Miami will play against Los Angeles Galaxy.