Showing posts with label MLS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MLS. Show all posts
Friday, 7 August 2026
Wednesday, 10 June 2026
Thursday, 14 May 2026
LIONEL MESSI NETS TWO AS INTER MIAMI STUNS CINCINNAATI IN 8-GOAL THRILLER
Lionel Messi had two goals and an assist, Germán Berterame had the go-ahead goal in the 84th minute and Inter Miami CF rallied for a 5-3 victory over FC Cincinnati on Wednesday, extending its road winning streak to seven.
It is the third time this season the Argentine superstar has had at least three goal contributions in a match. He is second in the league with 12 goals.
Mateo Silvetti evened it at 3-3 in the 79th minute after coming on as a substitute.
Kévin Denkey, Pavel Bucha and Evander scored for Cincinnati. It is the first time in 64 matches since Pat Noonan became coach in 2023 that it lost when it had the lead after 75 minutes.
Messi gave Miami a 1-0 lead at the 24-minute mark after he deflected a shot that went off Cincinnati's Matt Miazga near the Cincinnati goal. Denkey evened it on a penalty kick in the 41st minute.
"Speaking about Leo is truly striking, first because of the person he is, and second because of the player you see on the pitch," Inter Miami coach Guillermo Hoyos said after the game.
 |
| Lionel Messi has amassed 61 goals and 42 assists in 65 MLS regular-season appearances. Photo by Chris Carter/MLS via Getty Images |
After Bucha put Cincinnati on top in the 49th minute, Messi made it 2-2 six minutes later on a cutback after getting the pass from Luis Suárez.
The 38-year-old Argentina star recorded his 21st multi-goal game in MLS, extending his record for the most such games since his 2023 debut. LAFC striker Denis Bouanga follows in second place with 17.
Evander's in the 64th minute with a right footer from the center just outside the box to give Cincinnati a 3-2 lead. Miami though would rally and score the next three goals.
After Silvetti's goal, Miami took the lead off a set piece when Cincinnati's Andrei Chirila collided with goalkeeper Roman Celentano, allowing Berterame to put it into the open net.
Messi appeared to have a hat trick in the 89th minute when his shot went off the post and deflected off Celentano, but it was corrected to an own goal shortly after the match. It would have been Messi's 61st hat trick in all competitions.
"Him [Messi] Rodrigo [De Paul] and [Luis] Suárez are players who truly elevate the MLS. What they accomplished today was brilliant, simply brilliant. To perform that way on a difficult pitch, against a very tough opponent, s peaks volumes," Hoyos added.
-ESPN News Services
Wednesday, 13 May 2026
LIONEL MESSI TOPS SON HEUNG MIN AS HIGHEST PAID MLS PLAYERS REVEALED
 |
| Lionel Messi tops Son Heung Min as highest paid MLS players revealed Lionel Messi's salary has been confirmed by Major League Soccer Getty |
Lionel Messi more than doubled his salary to $25m (£18.5m) in his new contract with Inter Miami and earns more more than twice as much as the second-highest-paid player in Major League Soccer, Los Angeles FC's Son Heung Min.
Messi’s new contract includes $25m in base salary and more than $28m in guaranteed compensation, the MLS Players’ Association said in its first release of 2026 salaries. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner earns more than the payrolls of 28 of the other 29 MLS teams.
Miami's $54.6m (£40.4m) is more than $20m (£14.8m) higher than LAFC, which is second at $32.7m (£24.2m), and nearly five times as much as Philadelphia's league-low $11.7m (£8.65m). Miami's payroll is up from $46.8m (£34.6m) at the start of last season.
Total league compensation was $631m (£467m) and the average guaranteed compensation of $688,816 on 16 April was up nearly nine percent from the start of October.
Messi signed a new three-year contract through the 2028 season in October before leading Inter Miami to its first MLS title.
The Argentina captain has 59 goals in 64 regular-season games with Miami, including nine in 11 matches this season. He topped the MLS scoring charts with 29 goals last season and won his second straight MVP award.
His salary figures are for his MLS contract and include any marketing bonus and agents fees but do not account for any additional agreements with the team or its affiliates, or for any performance bonuses.
 |
| Lionel Messi tops Son Heung Min as highest paid MLS players revealed Son Heung Min joined LAFC at the start of the season Getty |
Son is second at $10,368,750 (£7.7m) in base salary and $11.2m (£8.3m) in total compensation, the same as his figures last season. The 33-year-old winger joined LA from Tottenham last August.
Among the other highest earners in the league after former Newcastle creator Miguel Almiron ($7.9m; £5.84m) and Vancouver Whitecaps’ Thomas Muller, who earned $5.15m (£3.81m) after leaving Bayern Munich last summer.
Cincinnati centre-back Miles Robinson ($3.95m; £2.92m) was the top earner among likely inclusions in Mauricio Pochettino’s United States squad for the 2026 World Cup.
- Associated Press
Monday, 23 March 2026
ANTOINE GRIEZMANN TRAVELS TO USA TO FINALIZlSE ATLETICO MADRID EXIT
Antoine Griezmann has decided to leave Atletico Madrid at the end of the season, and he will continue his career in the MLS. The 35-year-old, who is Los Colchoneros’ record goalscorer, will take advantage of the international break to define his future, as he readied himself to leave the Riyadh Air Metropolitano.
Earlier this year, Griezmann was the subject of intense interest from Orlando City, who wanted to sign him for the start of the 2026 MLS season. However, the former France international took the decision to see out the remainder of the European campaign with Atleti, who have aspirations to win the Champions League and Copa del Rey.
Nevertheless, Griezmann has now decided that he will fulfil his dream of playing in the MLS, as Marca have reported that he has given the green light to join Orlando City this summer. He will travel to the United States in the coming days to finalise his contract with the Florida-based club, with Atleti having given him permission to do so.
Griezmann will leave Atleti on free transfer
Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Atleti will not make his difficult for Griezmann to leave, as they have already decided that he can leave without a transfer fee being needed – despite the fact that he is contracted at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano until the summer of 2027. They see it as a debt of gratitude for one of the best players in their history, given that he has asked to end his time at the club at this moment.
Griezmann’s influence at Atleti has gradually waned in the last couple of years, so it is probably the right time for him to move on. Nevertheless, he will be a big miss for Diego Simeone, who will now task the club’s sporting director Mateu Alemany to find an acceptable replacement.
Wednesday, 11 March 2026
Tuesday, 10 March 2026
Saturday, 7 March 2026
JAVIER MASCHERANO CLAIMS INTER MIAMI WERE MISLEAD OVER DONALD TRUMP MEETING ASPECT
The Inter Miami squad visited the White House and President Donald Trump on Thursday to commemorate their MLS Cup win.
 |
| Getty Images |
Head coach Javier Mascherano has claimed that Inter Miami were told something different to what actually occurred prior to their White House meeting with US President Donald Trump.
Inter Miami were invited to meet President Trump to commemorate their MLS Cup win at the end of 2025.
The entire squad, including Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, joined the President on-stage as he addressed the media at the White House.
Trump then presented Messi with a signed pink football.
Speaking to the Argentinian legend directly, Trump said that Messi 'may be better than Pele', before declaring that son Barron is a 'big fan' of his.
 |
| Messi was handed a signed football by Trump (Image: Getty) |
"He thinks you're just a great person," he said. "He's a tremendous fan of yours, as well as a gentleman named Ronaldo.
"Cristiano is great. Some big champions, some great, great athletes in that sport."
Shortly after their arrival, the Inter Miami squad listened on stage as Trump gave updates on the ongoing US and Israel attacks on Iran.
Among other topics, Trump repeated his baseless claim that the 2020 presidential election was 'rigged and stolen', before he turned to secretary of state Marco Rubio and appeared to ask him to prepare for a war on Cuba.
He also discussed the Dow Jones stock market, the political situation in Venezuela, and baseball icon Alex Rodriguez.
During a media conference on Friday, Mascherano has claimed that he and his squad were told they would 'only talk about football' before their White House meeting.
He admitted, however, that the visit had been scheduled around 'two months ago', long before the US and Israel began their 'major combat operation' on Iran.
"I thought we were going to talk football," he said (via the Miami Herald).
 |
| Mascherano stood on stage as Inter Miami were welcomed by Trump (Image: Getty) |
"We complied with a protocol that is a tradition to come to the White House for being the championship team. It was planned a long time ago for the week we would play here in Washington.
"We were there a few hours, got to see a little bit of the White House, not much, what we could.
"The contact with President Trump was what was seen on TV, not much more than that.
"The White House visit was planned between a month and a half and two months ago."
- Ryan Smart
Sunday, 7 December 2025
Monday, 24 November 2025
LIONEL MESSI MAKES MLS CUP PLAYOFFS HISTORY WITH DOMINANT INDIVIDUAL DISPLAY IN INTER MIAMI ROUT OF FC CINCINNATI
 |
| Getty/GOAL |
Lionel Messi made MLS Cup playoffs history with a dominant individual display as Inter Miami thrashed FC Cincinnati 4-0 to progress to the Eastern Conference finals. The World Cup-winning Argentina legend was involved in every goal, contributing one of his own and three assists for his team to leave the David Beckham-owned club just two games away from winning their first-ever MLS Cup.
Messi scripts MLS Cup Playoffs history
Messi opened the scoring for Inter Miami with a brilliant header in the 18th minute. The goal came after a swift counterattack sparked by former Barcelona full-back Jordi Alba, who intercepted a misplaced pass from Nick Hagglund in midfield. The Spaniard quickly found Messi in a central pocket, and the Argentina star slid a perfectly-weighted ball out to Mateo Silvetti on the left. The youngster then sent an inch-perfect cross into the box, and Messi met it with a bouncing header that beat goalkeeper Roman Celentano and nestled into the far corner.
The 38-year-old then returned the favour to his compatriot Silvetti as he provided the assist for his goal in the second period. Messi went on to set up two more assists for Tadeo Allende as Inter Miami completed the rout of FC Cincinnati. With a combined four goals and assists in the clash, Messi created history as he now has 12 goal contributions, the most in the history of the MLS Cup playoffs.
Inter Miami two games away from winning MLS Cup
Messi has certainly changed Inter Miami's fortunes since joining the club in a high-profile transfer in 2023. The club which made its debut in 2020 and finished among the top 10 teams in the MLS Eastern Conference, won the MLS Supporters' Shield in 2024 under the leadership of the Argentina captain. In the subsequent campaign, Messi has now led the Herons to the Conference finals and is only two games away from helping the club win its first-ever MLS Cup. He has also enjoyed a stellar run of form in the current season, as he has scored 43 goals in 47 appearances across all competitions and has provided 23 assists. He is on course to win back-to-back MVP awards in the MLS.
 |
| Getty/GOAL |
Mascherano hails Messi
Speaking after the crucial victory, Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano said: "Messi is an amazing player. He is good at handling the ball and pressing. Coaching him is my privilege." He added: "We still haven't achieved anything. We need more focus. We must show our best performance in the next match to reach the MLS final."
Up next: Inter Miami gear up for New York City
In the other Eastern Conference semi-final, New York City FC edged out Philadelphia Union 1-0 and will now face a red-hot Inter Miami side, led by Messi, in the final on November 29. The kind of form Messi and his team have displayed, fans can remain hopeful of reaching the final game for the ultimate prize.
- Ritabrata Banerjee
Tuesday, 30 September 2025
Sunday, 17 August 2025
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)