In the end, most everyone got what they hoped for at Allianz Field on Saturday. The Loons took down Inter Miami with a comprehensive 4-1 victory. And the Herons’ lone goal was scored by the master himself,

Lionel Messi’s goal — which won’t make any of his career highlight reels — gave Loons fans a thrill (and a scare) when he slotted in a shot to cut MNUFC’s lead to 2-1 in the 48th minute. MNUFC (6-2-4, 22 points) went on to nullify the threat with two more goals and hand Miami (6-2-3, 21 points) only its second loss on the season.

It was only the eighth loss in Messi's 53 appearances for IMCF across all competitions. Previously, the worst scorelines with the Argentinian World Cup winner on the pitch were 3-1 defeats to Vancouver in 2025 (Champions Cup), Monterrey in 2024 (Champions Cup) and Atlanta United in 2024 (MLS regular season).