Inter Miami avenged their recent Leagues Cup final defeat by defeating the Seattle Sounders 3-1 at Chase Stadium on Tuesday night. Lionel Messi led the charge with a goal and an assist, contributing to a dominant performance. The win snapped Inter Miami's three-game winless streak and propelled them to fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings.
The Herons came into the match seeking redemption after losing 3-0 to the Sounders in the Leagues Cup final on August 31. That game was marred by a benches-clearing brawl and a three-match ban for Inter Miami's Luis Suárez for spitting on a member of the Sounders' coaching staff. Suárez served the second game of his ban during Tuesday's match.
Inter Miami manager Javier Mascherano made a tactical shift, switching from a 4-4-2 to a 4-3-3 formation, and moved Jordi Alba to left wing. The changes paid off early, as Inter Miami took the lead in the 12th minute. Yannick Bright dispossessed Seattle's Cristian Roldan and passed to Messi, who then found Alba with a spectacular pass. Alba settled the ball with one touch and fired it past Stefan Frei, giving Miami a 1-0 lead.
Messi nearly doubled the score in the 28th minute, but his shot hit the post. In the 41st minute, Alba returned the favor, assisting Messi, who managed to touch the ball enough to make the score 2-0. "I'm always looking for him (Messi), he's always looking for me. We've created a lot of goals and we hope it's like that until the end of our careers," Alba said.
Ian Fray extended Inter Miami's lead to 3-0 in the opening minutes of the second half, heading home Rodrigo De Paul's corner kick. "It was definitely a little extra motivation. After losing a game like that, you don't forget it," Fray said, reflecting on the rematch win.
Seattle managed to pull one back in the 69th minute when Obed Vargas scored, with Jordan Morris providing the assist. Vargas' goal was his fourth in all competitions and his third in MLS play this year.
Messi had an opportunity to score again in the 76th minute, but Frei denied him. Inter Miami's new signing, Mateo Silvetti, made his debut after joining from Messi's former club, Newell's Old Boys in Argentina.
Despite the victory, Mascherano emphasized the importance of maintaining focus. "We won one game tonight. We have seven left. We have seven finals left," Mascherano said. "Our objective is to win all seven games and finish first... That's our objective, and we'll take it game by game".
With the win, Inter Miami jumped to fifth in the Eastern Conference with 49 points and three games in hand. The Sounders fell to fourth place in the Western Conference with 45 points. Inter Miami will host D.C. United on Saturday, while the Sounders will travel to face Austin FC on Sunday.
