|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Lionel Messi scored his first two goals since the World Cup — a spectacular volley and a close-range finish — as Inter Miami beat Atlético San Luis 4-2 in their 2026 Leagues Cup opener at Nu Stadium. The brace took Messi to 14 Leagues Cup goals in 12 games, making him the tournament’s all-time leading scorer ahead of Denis Bouanga. Noah Allen provided three assists.
San Luis scored in the fourth minute and led on the night of Messi’s first Leagues Cup start of 2026. By the 44th minute, Messi had scored twice, provided an assist and become the tournament’s all-time leading scorer. Noah Allen had three assists. The weather had intervened. The result had not changed. Inter Miami are in the Leagues Cup and Messi is back.
Miami, Florida: There is a version of this story that focuses on the result — a 4-2 comeback win for the defending MLS Cup champions in their 2026 Leagues Cup opener against a physical Mexican Liga MX side, played in driving rain at Nu Stadium, interrupted by a 30-minute weather delay in the second half due to lightning in the area. That version is accurate but incomplete.
The fuller version is about what happens when Lionel Messi, returning to the starting XI for the first time since the World Cup, meets a cross from Noah Allen at full speed and redirects it into the net with a volley that his own coach struggled to describe adequately. “He struck the ball out of the air,” Miami interim head coach Guillermo Hoyos said. “Those of us who have played football know what it takes to find the time and space to connect, meeting a cross coming from left to right and hitting that ball.”
It was the kind of goal that reminds you, eight years into his MLS chapter and 39 years old, what Messi still is.
San Luis Strike Early, Messi Strikes Back
The night could not have started much worse for Miami. David Rodriguez’s glancing header beat goalkeeper Rocco Ríos Novo in the fourth minute — San Luis exposing Miami’s defensive shape before the home side had settled into the match, a reminder that Liga MX sides enter the Leagues Cup in mid-season form against MLS opponents still building rhythm. Nu Stadium fell briefly quiet.
ALSO READ: Vinicius Jr signs new Real Madrid deal to 2032, ending Arsenal’s dream
The silence lasted seven minutes. Allen’s cross from the left flank found Messi running at full speed and the Argentine’s volley — redirecting the ball in mid-air with the instinctive timing that cannot be coached — drew Miami level on 11 minutes. His first Leagues Cup goal since last season. His first goal of any kind since the World Cup. The stadium erupted.
Allen was not done. The 22-year-old left back — described by Hoyos as having “got into those spaces in the depth” — then burst into the San Luis penalty area and laid off to Telasco Segovia, whose powerful effort made it 2-1. Miami were ahead. Then, in first-half stoppage time, Messi finished from close range after Allen’s cross and immediately turned to set up Micael, whose header from the resulting corner made it 4-1. Three touches in stoppage time, two goals, one assist. Allen’s third.
The second goal — Messi’s close-range finish — was his 14th in 12 Leagues Cup appearances, taking him one clear of LAFC’s Denis Bouanga as the tournament’s all-time leading scorer. More goals than matches in the competition: 14 in 12. “Cosas de Lionel Messi,” as the Leagues Cup’s own social media account put it.
The Weather Delay That Changed Nothing
Rafa Llorente pulled one back for San Luis in the second half, reducing the deficit to 4-2 and giving the visitors something. Then came the lightning. The 30-minute weather delay that halted proceedings in the second half allowed both sides to reset — but Miami’s lead was too substantial to threaten. When play resumed, the Herons managed the game with the composure of a side that has been in this situation before. The eight-match unbeaten streak extended to nine.
READ MORE: Pre-season results: Kepa error gifts Betis 3-1 win over Arsenal; Bournemouth thrash Genoa 10-1
Wednesday also marked the first time Messi and Brazilian midfielder Casemiro — Miami’s marquee summer signing from Manchester United — started together for the club. The partnership, watched keenly by an MLS community that has been speculating about its potential since Casemiro’s signing was confirmed, showed early signs of the combination Hoyos envisions as the engine of Miami’s title defence. Miami were without Luis Suarez for the match, the Uruguayan serving a six-game suspension following an incident in last season’s Leagues Cup final.
San Luis coach Diego Mejía, beaten but not dismissive, framed the challenge facing any side that lines up against Messi simply and accurately: “If Messi plays on the counter, he’s the best; if you sit deep and give him too much time on the ball, he’s also the best. So my decision was for us to stick to our identity. We look at the bigger picture, of course, but we’re talking about the greatest player in history.”
What Comes Next
Inter Miami won the 2023 Leagues Cup and reached the final in 2025 before losing to Seattle Sounders. In this edition, they face LIGA MX giants Monterrey at Nu Stadium on Saturday. With Messi’s scoring record in the tournament, Allen’s playmaking brilliance and Casemiro now in the starting XI, Miami arrive in the knockout rounds of the Leagues Cup in the kind of form that made them champions three years ago.
The rain on Wednesday night changed the feel of the evening. It did not change the result. It rarely does when Messi is involved.
Scores: Inter Miami CF 4–2 Atlético San Luis
Goals: Miami- Messi (11′, 44′), Segovia (26′), Micael (45+7′); San Luis- Rodriguez (4′), Llorente (51′) Assists: Allen x3 (all three Miami goals in first half)
Messi record: 14 Leagues Cup goals in 12 appearances — all-time tournament leading scorer (surpassing Denis Bouanga of LAFC)
Miami unbeaten run: 9 matches
Note: First start together for Messi and Casemiro | Suarez absent (6-game suspension)
Next: Inter Miami vs Monterrey, Nu Stadium, August 8, 8pm ET (Apple TV)
