Messi scores in first MLS match, because of course he did

Messi only needed half an hour to get yet another goal

Lionel Messi came to New York (or close to it) for a good time, not a long time.

Messi made his MLS debut off the bench, but still managed to score just about the easiest goal he’s going to score for Inter Miami, who got a valuable 2-0 win over the New York Red Bulls on Saturday.

Much has been made of Messi’s arrival for Inter Miami, given that he is a) Lionel Messi, and b) has provided a constant supply of highlight-reel plays and moments. However, despite playing a bunch of games against MLS teams in the Leagues Cup, and then escaping an epic U.S. Open Cup semifinal with another victory, he hadn’t actually played an MLS game yet.

Manager Gerardo “Tata” Martino indicated that he would have to give Messi a rest at some point, which while disappointing for a lot of folks is just a recognition of Messi’s age, the travel involved in MLS, and Miami’s preposterously jammed schedule.

However, a Red Bull Arena crowd of 26,276 — a record for the stadium — only had to wait an hour before Martino answered their “we want Messi!” chants, bringing the global legend on alongside Sergio Busquets and DeAndre Yedlin with Miami leading 1-0.

With the Red Bulls pushing for an equalizer, much of the action happened at the north end of Red Bull Arena. Drake Callender had to preserve the win with a stellar late save, before Messi put the game on ice with casual ease.

Even a Messi tap-in is special, though, with the wizard from Rosario playing an unreal pass to Benjamin Cremaschi seconds before tapping home from two yards out.

The Messi phenomenon has become such a big deal that it naturally has also started to get a little weird. Take, for example, a bunch of people standing around Times Square to watch two MLS teams that sit outside the Eastern Conference playoff places play on a billboard.

Miami climbed out of last place in MLS’s Eastern Conference with the win, while Messi is — after just nine games — now alone as the third-highest scorer in Inter Miami history. You know, just a normal situation for late August when a team signs a guy early in the transfer window.

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