Freshly crowned Leagues Cup champions Inter Miami ended an 11-match winless streak in MLS with a 2-0 victory away to New York Red Bulls on Saturday night.
Much to the disappointment of the assembled masses in New York's Times Square, where the match was being broadcast live, Lionel Messi started the contest on the bench.
In a pre-Messi age, Inter Miami were one of the division's lowest scorers. Yet, New York have endured even more struggles in front of goal this season. Troy Lesesne's side have scored just 23 goals from an xG of 32.9 - the largest negative differential in the Eastern Conference.
That wayward finishing reared its ugly head once again in the first half at Red Bull Arena. Dru Yearwood fired a cutback from the byline where Omir Fernandez was waiting to limply scuff his effort wide from all of six yards. Not for the first time this season, Lesesne hung his head in disappointment.
Exactly two minutes later, Miami's Diego Gomez demonstrated the clinical edge that NYRB have lacked all season. Messi's mid-season arrival naturally hogged the headlines but Miami pulled off something of a coup by persuading the highly rated 20-year-old to leave Paraguay for South Beach.
Gomez stunned Noah Allen's cross with his right foot before sweeping Miami in front with his left in the 37th minute.
Leo Campana, who scored twice to force a penalty shootout against FC Cincinnati in the US Open semi-finals earlier this week, was responsible for Miami's minimal chances amid an attacking onslaught from the hosts.
The 19-year-old David Ruiz survived a handball scare as New York were rightly denied a penalty after a second-half VAR review.
Tata Martino made fans around the world wait until the 60th minute before Messi, joined by the not-insignificant figure of Sergio Busquets, trotted onto the pitch.
As the match ticked into the penultimate minute of normal time, Messi got the ball inside New York's penalty area. Six sets of black and white stripes were within a five-yard radius of Miami's talisman. A record 26,276 fans were crammed into the Red Bull Arena, Times Square was packed and millions more watched on from home but no one saw the pass Messi would squirt over to Benjamin Cremaschi. The homegrown Floridian returned the ball to his skipper who capped off an exquisite move with a simple tap-in.
It was a debut goal worth the wait.
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Inter Miami player ratings (5-4-1)
GK: Drake Callender - 8/10 - Do not try to limit Callendar's heroics to penalty shootouts. Miami's keeper was a match for anything and everything that New York threw his way.
RWB: Robert Taylor - 5/10 - Messi's partner-in-crime for much of the Leagues Cup, Taylor was somewhat shackled by a more defensive role on Saturday.
CB: Tomas Aviles - 6/10 - Solid if unspectacular.
CB: Kamal Miller - 7/10 - The no-nonsense central cog in Martino's back five thrived in the hostile atmosphere.
CB: Noah Allen - 8/10 - Given licence to step out of Miami's defensive rearguard when space opened up in front of him. Exploited that freedom to register an assist.
LWB: Jordi Alba - 7/10 - Chest out, head tilted back, legs blurring. Alba can't embark upon as many of his famous sprints each game but picks his moments well.
RM: Diego Gomez - 9/10 - Monstrous in midfield. Gomez produced a brilliant all-round display on his MLS debut.
CM: Dixon Arroyo - 5/10 - Struggled to exert a significant impact on proceedings.
CM: David Ruiz - 6/10 - Breathed an almighty sigh of relief after the referee got called to his pitch-side monitor.
LM: Facundo Farias - 5/10 - Skirted around the fringes of the contest.
ST: Leo Campana - 6/10 - Almost pulled off an acrobatic attempt in the first half that would perhaps have eclipsed Messi's late goal. Alas, it didn't come off but Campana did when Martino unsheathed his not-so-secret weapon.
Substitutes
SUB: Sergio Busquets (60' for Ruiz) - 7/10 - Helped disrupt the tide of New York surges forward by breaking up play and hogging possession.
SUB: DeAndre Yedlin (60' for Taylor) - 5/10 - Pleading with Messi to tee him up for a shot, Yedlin is too surprised by the choice of pass to berate his new teammate. As it ended in a goal, Yedlin would have been grateful for his hesitancy.
SUB: Lionel Messi (60' for Campana) - 8/10 - Is there no limit to Messi's magic? Major League Soccer's defender's may not be the best but the humiliation which they have suffered at the feet of Messi is still awe inspiring.
SUB: Benjamin Cremaschi (72' for Farias) - 7/10 - Kept his composure to cleverly sneak the ball across for Messi's goal.
SUB: Robbie Robinson (84' for Gomez) - N/A
Manager
Tata Martino - 5/10 - Bringing arguably the greatest player of all time off the bench is hardly a managerial masterstroke. In truth, Miami were fortunate to still be ahead when Messi ambled on.
Player of the match - Diego Gomez (Inter Miami)
This article was originally published on 90min as New York Red Bulls 0-2 Inter Miami: Player ratings as Messi scores outrageous goal on MLS debut.
