Lionel Messi scored his second goal of the season less than two minutes after he entered the game as a second-half substitute, and Inter Miami secured a 2-1 victory over Philadelphia Union.
The 37-year-old star had missed Argentina’s World Cup qualifiers in South America during the recent international window after picking up an adductor strain in Miami’s most recent Major League Soccer (MLS) game, a 2-1 win at Atlanta on March 16.
Finnish winger Robert Taylor had given Miami an advantage in the 23rd minute of the match, converting a low pass from Benjamin Cremaschi after Jordi Alba’s run down the left flank.
Coach Javier Mascherano introduced Messi in the 55th minute, and he wasted no time in making an impact. Messi’s former teammate from Barcelona, Luis Suarez, found him on the right, and with a quick jink, Messi fired a low shot from his right foot into the far post.
Philadelphia managed to pull back a goal in the 80th minute when Quinn Sullivan delivered a cross from the right, and Daniel Gazdag, a Hungarian midfielder, brought the ball down before firing a sharp shot into the net.
Inter Miami remains undefeated, leading the Eastern Conference with four wins in their first five games of the season.
Inter Miami is set to face a flurry of matches, starting with a trip to Los Angeles for the first leg of a CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinal against LAFC on Wednesday. They will play at home against Toronto the following Sunday, followed by the return leg against LAFC three days later.
Mascherano explained the cautious decision to start Messi on the bench, stating they did not want to risk him for the full game and aimed to get him some playing time. The plan is for him to recover and travel to Los Angeles if he remains in good condition.