Good morning! Each week, Inter Miami’s margin of victory gets larger: 3-2, 3-1, 4-1 and 6-2. What Lionel Messi and the Herons did on Saturday night against the New York Red Bulls will go down as one of the greatest feats in MLS history. They trailed 1-0 after 45 minutes. “Unimpressive half from Inter Miami. Just no real intensity. Slow and too often disconnected,” was the analysis of one observer. The second half? Miami equalized in the 48th minute and went on to scored five more goals over the next 33 minutes, all six with contributions from Messi.
Soccer America Daily is edited by Paul Kennedy and Mike Woitalla.
MLS
Lionel Messi’s 33-minute haul: one goal and five assists
Lionel Messi scored one goal and added an incredible five assists — three on goals by Luis Suarez — in a span of 33 minutes in the second half as Inter Miami crushed the New York Red Bulls 6-2 on Saturday.
Without Messi, Miami had fallen to a 4-0 defeat away to the Red Bulls in March, but the Herons more than avenged that loss with a merciless second-half demolition job. Messi now has 10 goals and 12 assists in eight league appearances so far this season.
Messi’s passing through the slightest of gaps, taking advantage of his former Barcelona teammate Suarez’s telepathic understanding of his intentions, was simply too much for the Red Bulls, who came into the game third in the Eastern Conference.
• What They’re Saying: “Obviously what we have seen today surprises people, because you don’t see that in football,” said Suarez of Messi’s five assists. “But as a teammate and someone who knows him, nothing surprises me about him.”
• Messi’s new MLS records:
• 5 assists in a game.
• 6 goal contributions in a game.
• 6 consecutive games with multiple goal contributions.
• 22 goal contributions in his first 8 games of the season.
NATIONAL SOCCER HALL OF FAME
Class of 2024 inducted
The National Soccer Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024 was inducted at a ceremony Saturday in Frisco, Texas.
Tim Howard, Josh McKinney, Tisha Venturini-Hoch and Francisco Marcos comprised the four inductees. In addition, Amy Rosenfeld was the recipient of the 2024 Colin Jose Media Award.
AMERICANS ABROAD
PSV celebrates 25th Dutch league title
PSV was crowned Dutch champion for the 25th time on Sunday, the club’s first title since 2018, making sure of the Eredivisie trophy with two games to spare via a 4-2 win over Sparta Rotterdam in a party atmosphere at a sunny Philips Stadion.
Malik Tillman started for PSV, Ricardo Pepi had an assist on the fourth PSV goal a minute after he entered the game, and Richard Ledezma was on the bench. Injured Sergino Dest was on hand and took part in the post-game trophy celebrations.
• Assist kings: Christian Pulisic assisted on Olivier Giroud’s goal in AC Milan’s 3-3 tie with Genoa to give him a career-high 7 league assists this season. Weston McKennie also has seven Serie A assists for Juventus this season, the most by a USMNT player in a season in the big 5 European league.
• More: Promotion and relegation battles
Emma Hayes wrote off WSL title race too soon
On Wednesday, departing Chelsea manager Emma Hayes said a fifth straight Women’s Super League title for the Blues was all but lost after a 4-3 defeat to Liverpool.
On Sunday’s penultimate matchday, the complexion of a title race the soon-to-be USWNT head coach termed “done” was thrown upside down.
Leader Manchester City fell to Arsenal 2-1 at home and Chelsea crushed Bristol City 8-0. Catarina Macario had two assists off the bench to give her five in her first six Chelsea matches in the WSL.
Manchester City’s lead has been reduced to three points. But Chelsea has a game in hand — and better goal difference (64-18 vs. 59-14).
• Coupe de France: Korbin Albert and Eva Gaetino started for Paris St. Germain in its 1-0 win over Fleury for the Parisian club’s fourth French cup title.
NWSL
Barbra Banda sends unbeaten Orlando into first place
Barbra Banda’s goal in the 17th minute held up for the Orlando Pride in a 1-0 win over Racing Louisville at Inter&Co Stadium.
It was not quite as impressive as the Zambian’s first two NWSL starts when she was involved in all seven goals in a pair of Orlando wins, but it was enough to propel surprise Orlando into first place with a 5-0-3 record ahead of the Kansas City Current.
USL CHAMPIONSHIP
Brazilian Marlon leads surging Memphis 901
Memphis 901 handed Tampa Bay its first defeat of the season with a 4-1 decision at AutoZone Park.
Brazilian Marlon, back in the USL Championship after a stint at Israeli club Hapoel Ironi Kiryat Shmona, led the Beale Street Boys with two goals and an assist. In their previous match, he had two assists in the 3-0 win at Birmingham.
• Unbeatens: The Rowdies’ loss left Charleston (7-0-3) and Sac Republic FC (5-0-4) as the USL Championship’s only remaining unbeaten teams. In the Battery’s 1-0 win over Hartford Athletic, Nick Markanich won the match with a sensational bicycle goal to give him 12 goals in 10 games.
OBITUARY
Cesar Luis Menotti, architect of Argentina’s 1978 World Cup triumph, dies at 85
Cesar Luis Menotti, who coached Argentina to their first World Cup triumph in 1978, has died at the age of 85.
The chain-smoking Menotti managed 11 clubs, some more than once, and two national teams — Argentina and Mexico — in a coaching career that lasted 37 years. But he will be best remembered for leading Argentina at the 1978 World Cup played on home soil while the country was ruled by a repressive junta.
Menotti had a 21-year playing career that included a stop with the New York Generals (1967).
SPAIN
Jude Bellingham, Real Madrid’s driving force in LaLiga conquest
Jude Bellingham came, saw and conquered Spain in his first season with Real Madrid as the English midfielder became the key figure in Los Blancos’ LaLiga triumph with four games to spare.
Trivia: British LaLiga champions (Real Madrid):
• Laurie Cunningham (1979-80)
• Steve McManaman (2000-01, 2002-03)
• David Beckham (2006-07)
• Gareth Bale (2016-17, 2019-20, 2021-22)
• Jude Bellingham (2023-24)
MONDAY MORNING: WHAT WE’RE READING
1. Messi’s fun ruthlessness, Minnesota’s rugged flexibility & more from Matchday 12 By Matt Doyle (MLSSoccer.com)
2. On Queens soccer fields, immigrants find each other and a sense of home By Raúl Vilchis (New York Times)
3. Will Ferrell to join list of Leeds United investors (BBC)