Lionel Messi vs Nashville | BRACE & Play-off WIN! | 24/10/2025

29 goals for Messi in 2024, five more than next closest. The fourth most goals scored in a single season in league history. But he scored just once in three round one games last year when Miami was upset by Atlanta. Can Messi and Miami redeem themselves? Lionel Messi has had one main goal since joining Inter Miami. That's to win MLS Cup. Rodriguez and Jordi Alba there for Inter Miami. Now it's Messi. Shrugs off Brian Acosta. Vijay Callahan feels like they've been close against Nashville. Messi does so well to bring that down. Defended by Jason Palacios. Finds Messi in the middle. Bit of a loose touch from Messi. Mukdar brings him down. He didn't need to. And this is a dangerous free kick for Inter Miami in the opening minutes of the match. Well, it's great little transition here from Miami. It's a heavy touch from Lionel Messi. There's no reason for a honeymoon. It's been fantastic. Ten goals in nine games, all competitions. Lionel Messi against Nashville SC. About 30 yards away. Messi is going for goal. It is deflected off the wall and it will be the first corner kick of this game one in the round one best of three series. The ball doing a good enough job for Miami. But you and I haven't seen him recently four or five times. He's got a real playmaker. Little pockets right in front of the back line. That's where Messi loves to operate. That's where Suarez peels off. The three in the midfield. Very flat is limiting any kind of those legs up. You've got to be perfect. Up to this point. Messi out to Suarez. Suarez back to Messi. Joe Willis ruminating about how does this happen? How does this consistently happen? You go up against Inter Miami. You circle two players right away. Number nine, Luis Suarez. Number 10, Lionel Messi. And yet you try to contain him. You try to stop them. And you may. You may be good enough for the total of 90 minutes. But in certain moments, you've got to be absolutely perfect. Because Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi always have been. And Javier Mascherano with Halloween a week away. Blowing the ghost of the pass away for the moment. 1-0 Messi Miami. The 890th goal of Lionel Messi's career. The 29th he has scored with his head. And a diving header at that. How many of the 890 have been headers? 29. There you go. I'm not sure how many have been diving headers. Like we just saw. Two. He can finish for Mukhtar. DePaul who's got Suarez combined so well to get it to Messi. Who carries forward. Accelerates away from tag set. A run. Messi still. And he lost it at the end. Willis just. Oh and Messi putting his hand up. Because he knows Suarez made a long run. These little touches just breathtaking at the pace. Look at how many Nashville defenders. King and having conversations about limiting the space of Messi and Suarez. Operating at a different level. Oh Messi somehow brings it down in front of Lovitz. Lionel Messi holding off Lovitz. But the touch too far. Lovitz does enough to see it out for a goal kick. Oh and Ian Frey being in the starting 11. Has given them a little bit. Of a burst going forward right. Because now Lovitz has to deal with. When Messi comes inside. Does he deal with. Yet how many times are we going to say that about teams going up against Miami. Messi takes it off of a poster. Draws a foul. Rodrigo DePaul is asking for persistent infringements. And it's the third foul from Nashville. On Miami. But. He'll open. The new stadium next year. Miami Freedom Park. In the announcement video. Featured him signing his contract. In the middle of that under construction stadium. But now a chase stadium. As he floats it in and too far. Round one of the MLS Cup playoffs. Getting underway tonight. On this Friday night in South Florida. It will continue on Sunday. A moment there where. Nashville or Miami really knew. If advantage was being played or not. It was awkward for everyone but Lionel Messi. The ref blows the whistle. Right there. So Messi puts it down. Suarez left it for Messi. It was blocked. Maybe by Allende. Suarez, Messi. They know exactly where to go. When to do it. 24 goals in the regular season for Surge. As Rodriguez got there. In front of Palacios. And everyone else to run off of him. Messi back to Jordi Alba. Palacios steps in. That's off of Jordi Alba last. 17 all competitions for Luis Suarez this year. Messi into Suarez. Bounces it off to Busquets. Rodrigo Beckham's look on. It's been all business for. David and Victoria. Seeing them pre-game. David said it best. We've had 365 days. This team's motivated. Messi floating this. All the way through. Suarez blocked. This goes down to make the save. Somehow finds its way to Suarez. First one comes back. But how about the look. He's clipping it in. Just over the head of Allende. Messi trying to bring it down. Gets it over to De Paul. Now there was. All to start with. More from Sam Surge in the second half. But it's Lionel Messi. The 890th goal of his career. The 38th. Conversation between player and coach. Former teammates. Back together in Miami. Fullbacks are in the ability. To allow Messi to find a clinic. On how to draw defenders into spots. They don't want to go into. Lionel Messi will take this restart. Now hard kind of awkwardly. Suarez is back. Maybe Suarez calling for a handball. Play continues. And Nashville draw foul. After that it's been more of the same. Suarez turning. Gets it to Messi. Messi. Got it through Palacios. And Nashville finally get it. Comes the first yellow card of the game. Well this one's difficult right. Because when you want. The player comparison is presented by Celsius. Official energy drink partner of MLS. Lionel obviously had concerns about his hamstring. He's not going to try to delay the game. Or take time off the clock. Messi forward to Frey. Frey floating it. Palacios goes down with the hamstring cramp. Has to come off. Now Nashville for two minutes. Has to defend down a man. They haven't been real clear. With their responsibilities. Great run forward from Ian Frey. And a brilliant ball in. Three ACL injuries. Perseverance. Believe in it. And then it's cleared by Miami. That was promising for a moment. But like most attacks tonight for Nashville. Dissolved quickly. Yeah they were 8-8-1 excuse me. But either way 17 games. Messi turning. Segovia. Back to Messi. Over towards Jordi Alba. But too far. Here's how you finish this season. Tagseth comes forward. Finds Messi. Nashville break it up. Messi gets it back to Busquets. But he fouled. Lionel Messi. Trying to get it forward to Allende. De Paul. Getting away from Bruggeman. Over to Messi. Leaving for Segovia. Silvetti a member of Argentina's team. That lost in the final of the Under-20 World Cup to Morocco. They can't come out as timid as they were tonight. Now in saying that. Yeah I get it. Shafferberg had a great opportunity at the beginning of the game. But since then there really hasn't been a ton. Samser. Busquets. Busquets again. All of them. Did one playoff win in their history. Trying for a second. A third goal would go a long way. As Messi drives forward over to Silvetti. Cutting it back. Off of Lovett's corner. Into Miami. Just great composure there for Segovia. To get Suarez and Messi and Silvetti out in transition. Samsurge has been. Borderline non-existent. And yet that first 45 at National Decision Day was the. Silvetti ended up hitting it hit the crossbar. And went back to about 40 yards away from goal. Messi will take this corner now. And he's taking his time. And now Messi looking back post. Knocked down by Suarez. Segovia to Jordi Alba. Who hits it well over. 890 plus goals. 29 of those headers. Not a single goal. Messi stepping in front of Tagsad. Sliding in for Suarez. And a foot race with Zimmerman who beats him to it. And then goes back to Willis. But under pressure Willis just has to send it out for a throw. As a manager in the playoffs. In Major League Soccer. Send on to Suarez. Plays it over to Messi. Palacios coming to defend. Palacios does really well to take it away from Messi. Silvetti sliding and it came off. To cover up the lack of range of mobility that Sergio Busquets has. Javier Mascherano disagrees with me. Silvetti. I fully expected Miami to be ready in Nashville come Saturday night. Messi turning coming forward. Clipping it in towards Suarez. Yellow jerseys everywhere. A Miami throw. Silvetti finds Suarez. Jordi Alba. Miami trying to eliminate any doubt about who's going to win game one. Willis. Oh it's right there for Messi. It's a brace for Lionel Messi. It's three for Miami. And they're going to lead this series one game to zero. It's been that kind of night for Nashville SC. It's been that kind of night from Nashville. And it's been that kind of Nashville. Since they punched Messi in Miami in the face on decision day. Since that point they've given up seven goals. And seven goals in different ways. Two guys that have been a huge part of Nashville and their history in Major League Soccer. How many times have you goals against Nashville? And so while you and I can sit here and say yes that's where the supporting cast. I still think there's a lot left to be desired for Nashville. Here's Hani Mukhtar. Gets it over the wall. A little too late. They lose 3-1. And they've got a big one at home Saturday night. It's over. That was the final kick of this game one. A brace from Lionel Messi. A pair of former MVPs will exchange jerseys here at the end. Hani Mukhtar's consolation goal. Just be a footnote. On Into Miami's 3-1 win over Nashville SC. They win game one of this best of three series. And they take a 1-0 lead in the series as it moves to Nashville next Saturday for game two.