Lionel Messi returned to Inter Miami following his farewell match with the Argentina national team, where he concluded a 21-year international career. He will lead Miami against DC United in Major League Soccer (MLS) on Saturday, aiming to end Miami's five-match winless streak.
Inter Miami currently holds a record of 12 wins, 5 draws, and 10 losses, totaling 46 points, placing them third in the Eastern Conference. They are tied on points with New England, who have the tiebreaker with 14 wins. In contrast, DC United, with a record of 6 wins, 8 draws, and 12 losses for 30 points, sits in 11th place and is three points shy of the final playoff position in the conference.
Inter Miami recently won the Campeones Cup on September 16 under new coach Kily Gonzalez but has since drawn with San Diego and lost 2-1 to Columbus in league play. Messi has performed well this season, scoring 21 goals and providing 13 assists in league matches, as he seeks his third consecutive MLS MVP award. However, the team has only won once in their last 10 league matches.
Gonzalez commented on Messi's leadership, stating, "Leo is a person who every day conveys it and passes it on to his teammates, and he demands from all of us that you have to be at 100% in every way."
DC United is also looking to end a three-match winless streak and has not won since September 9. They previously lost to Miami 2-1 on March 7 in Baltimore, a match where Messi and Rodrigo De Paul scored.
In his final match for Argentina, Messi scored one goal and assisted two others in a 3-0 friendly win against Benin, played in front of over 85,000 fans at Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires. He concluded his international career as Argentina's most-capped player with 208 appearances and the all-time leading scorer, having achieved significant success including World Cup and Copa America victories.