Lionel Messi stars as Inter Miami beat Seattle Sounders 3-1 in MLS

Lionel Messi delivered a decisive performance Tuesday night, scoring one and aiding another goal to guide Inter Miami to a 3-1 victory over the Seattle Sounders in a heated MLS rematch of last month’s controversial Leagues Cup final. Messi, the 38-year-old Argentine superstar who lifted the 2022 World Cup and spent his prime at Barcelona, set the tone early. In the 12th minute, he assisted longtime teammate Jordi Alba for the opener, then doubled Miami’s lead with a clinical strike in the 41st minute.
Ian Fray extended the lead in the 52nd, giving Miami a commanding 3-0 lead. Obed Vargas finally scored for Seattle in the 69th, but the Sounders never seriously threatened a comeback. The matchup carried extra tension after Seattle’s 3-0 win over Miami in the Leagues Cup final on August 31, which ended in a benches-clearing brawl.
That melee also saw Inter striker Luis Suárez spit on a Sounders staff member, earning him a suspension from the 2026 Leagues Cup and a three-match MLS ban. The Uruguayan served the second game of that suspension on Tuesday.

The victory was crucial for Miami, which had fallen to eighth place in the Eastern Conference following a 3-0 loss at Charlotte. Now 14-6-7 with 49 points, Inter Miami vaulted to fifth place, eight points behind leaders Philadelphia but with three games in hand. Seattle, meanwhile, dropped to 12-8-9, staying fourth in the Western Conference but only a point ahead of Los Angeles FC.