Back-To-Back MVP And FIRST MLS Cup Title! | Best of Messi in MLS

Lionel Messi in League's Cup put on a show, and in 35 minutes tonight, just gave New York City one of the best goals you will ever, ever see. What a privilege. As Gomez and Suarez in the middle, Suarez the option, Suarez on his left, cutting it back behind Gomez, and nobody there, but Tim Riebel, he gives it away right to Busquets, Ruiz, and Messi, MESSI! And now Lionel Messi, terrific ball for Rojas, the return from Messi, Messi, pulls that through, here's Rojas flagged down, and chips it by Court, has three, they're rolling now at Chase Stadium. And into the goals, cool, calm, collected, brilliant goal, brilliant play, brilliant all-round. Lionel Messi has factored into all three goals though in this second half. Boos gets to Messi, a chance for Lionel Messi, off court! A little flat-footed, a little slow, 30 yards and in, you cannot allow Lionel Messi to take a touch, to prepare, and then hit with no pressure. And one thing that will be gone is the points record if this goal line says the same, that won't be possible, Lionel Messi! Well we see this so often, Lionel Messi, the difference maker for Inter Miami, for sure. Big issue here is the wall set up right, Messi! And in the blink of an eye, Lionel Messi has turned this game on its head. You have to be perfect, the details, setting up the wall, is it wide enough, is there tall enough, players to make him uncomfortable. The revolution is Miami possesses, now they decide to come right, Messi, Suarez, Messi and Suarez. And Messi again, all around Arriaga, Messi! Revolution back line, great little touch here, he floats into space, but watch him lose Arriaga with that little bit of a feint. And was there any doubt that the moment he loses Arriaga with a dip of the shoulder, he cuts it to his left. There is zero chance, that ball is going nowhere other than the back of the net. 2021 Revolution were led by their number 10, Carlos Gil, the 2024 Inter Miami. You just admire someone like Brooks Lennon, you're told 5, 6 months out, shoulder injury, it's 4 months, he stays fit, he's ready, already with an assist. Allende into the middle, Gazan, an important touch with Suarez lurking. The 40 year old, Brad Gazan continuing to turn back, the puck is given away, Messi! And Messi, Brad Gazan was perfect in the playoffs last year, 18 saves with big moments like that, but you cannot lose possession there. Because when you do, there's a number 10, in pink, lurking, sniffing, he can. The MLS MVP of a year ago, his first of the year, MLS, it's 1-1. From just off dead center, 87th minute trying to get his team back within one, Messi, free kick, what a strike! It's a 3-2 game, Messi magic! Hold on to your seat, and a frantic finish now. Let's go back at the last minute, this is the angle, probably the one. You can see Rick, he's trying to cover that area, he's allowed the wall to be over a little bit to the other side, and I don't think it's the greatest of walls that he's lined up. Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi, here come Miami again, here comes Lionel Messi once more, Messi! You can see the ball coming in to Suarez, and just lays it off to Messi, and from here, just accelerates past Campbell, twists and turns. You can just see Montreal colliding on top of each other with vertigo. Just spinning them around, in every which direction, ball just seems glued to his fit, wins the tackle, and then puts it in the top corner for good measure. You can just see the bodies of blue all around him. He's done an early mistake to put Miami against New England now, and he sees on this opportunity, Gartic at his kind of range. He's up against Joe Willis, and he finds the net! Oh this guy, did we really expect anything else? Messi 1, Nashville 0, into Miami 1, Nashville 0. Line of Joe Willis, put my foot through in a hope for the best, it takes a wicked deflection on his way through. Doesn't make a difference, doesn't throw off Willis just enough, but that is tucks in right in the corner. The outstretched arm of Joe Willis desperately can do nothing. Their last play standing in the Western Conference. Rodriguez across, DePaul, this ball finds Suarez, Luis Suarez says goodnight! It's his first goal from the run of play in 12 matches. Is something so special. You can see Suarez is onside, Messi knows exactly where he is. But to have A, the audacity to try it, but B, to be able to pull it off right into Suarez at his stride. Takes one touch, and it's in the back of the net. It's an easy enough finish for Suarez, but sometimes the assist is better than the goal. I could watch this all night. Messi threw his hands up in frustration, he wanted a call from the referee, but the referee allowed play to go on. He's kept by so many defenders. It's just the ability to size up a defender. To just size him up, get the ball on his favorite left foot, have the smallest window to deliver that precision. Doesn't have to have a ton of pace on it, but just shifts it onto his left foot, gets a little separation, and then the finish is just superb. Another night, another goal for Messi, and that's three points for Inter-Miami. Hopefully he's okay to continue. His last trip to these grounds was quite a memorable one, wasn't it? He scored twice in the early stages of the playoff Game 3 win. Here comes Messi after the takeaway, curling shot! There it is, number 25 of the year! Lionel Messi, a golden strike! Inter-Miami, off and... It's brilliant, but one thing I would say, we said about Atalanta, don't try and play through the middle. Moyambar does exactly that, all of a sudden now, you get a situation where it's one versus one for Messi. And all he does, he doesn't need to go past Amador, he just sizes him up, gets him on his side, and he thinks to himself, if I can curl it around him, then Hibber has got absolutely no chance, and this will be a great angle of it. He just curls it around Amador, and then Hibber, absolutely no chance. When you're playing against the greatest player in the... Messi settling in, keeping... You cannot miss anything. Sam Serge should have two goals, Hani Mukhtar should have two goals, they don't. But who does? Lionel Messi. One chance, one cut, one goal. His 27th of the year. Not a single one of those from the penalty spot. And you are looking at your MLS MVP in back-to-back seasons, for the first time in the 30-year league history. What a night for Messi so far. What a night for Miami. Allende's onside, Allende's in, Hedebe chasing. Allende pulls him off! A elastic from the Eastern Conference Final! Masterclass from Javier Mascherano! Messi to Allende again, for the second time in about 10 minutes. Again they win it. Again it's Messi forward. The strength of Allende. His fifth goal of these playoffs. Lionel Messi's sixth assist of these playoffs. All the superlatives. This MLS Cup. To watch players connect is something else, but to watch players connect at a level that is description. Jordi Alba and Lionel Messi have made this game so fun to watch over the last 18 plus years. The best of friends, the best of competitors, and two of the best players connected to each other. The dream realized. The goal achieved. Enter Miami champions, Emmanuel Saga!