Inter Miami captured its second-ever trophy in the form of the Major League Soccer Supporters' Shield following its 3–2 triumph over Columbus Crew. Last summer, the Herons lifted their first-ever piece of silverware after their Leagues Cup triumph over Nashville SC.
All the south Florida side needed heading into the match was a win to clinch the title, and the team did that thanks to some individual brilliance from Luis Suárez and Lionel Messi. Columbus were also still alive in the Supporters' Shield race but needed to take down Miami and hope for a few other results in the final weeks of the season to go its way.
The first half at Lower.com Field saw the Crew dominate for the most part with Miami failing to do much in the final third. Miami's Sergio Busquets might've been lucky to be on the pitch after two rash challenges–he somehow escaped a booking and the fans in Columbus let referee Drew Fischer know how they felt.
As halftime approached, Jordi Alba picked out Messi's defense-splitting run through the middle of the pitch with a perfectly-weighted through ball. Messi's first touch is what set him up for success before a lucky bounce off an attempted clearance from Columbus' Malte Amundsen allowed him to poke the ball past Patrick Schulte.
A few minutes later, the Herons were threatening again as Suárez was fouled just outside of the Columbus penalty area in shooting territory for Messi. The 37-year-old stepped up and curled in an effort that wrapped around the Crew's wall and into the back of the net, leaving Schulte rooted to the spot.
Don Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccittini. pic.twitter.com/cSXGNiCzos
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) October 3, 2024
The goal was Messi's fifth in as many matches since returning from an ankle injury suffered in July in the Copa América final. The goals were very much against the run of play but Messi and Co. didn't care being 2–0 up on the road against a difficult opponent.
The Crew came out swinging in the second half, however. A botched clearance from Alba in his own box saw Diego Rossi pounce and hit a curling effort into the far corner to pull one back for the hosts and energize the Columbus fans.
Before the Crew fans had time to celebrate, Ian Fray played Suárez through on goal as the Crew defense struggled to defend another lofted through ball. Schulte and defender Rudy Camacho had a bit of miscommunication that led to Suárez heading home unchallenged with a straightforward finish from the top of the box.
Still, the Crew weren't giving up. Wilfried Nancy's team pushed for a second goal and would find one from the penalty spot. Noah Allen handled the ball illegally in his own penalty area and Fischer didn't have to wait for VAR to confirm—Cucho Hernández stepped up to hammer home the penalty and pull one back for the Crew.
Just as Columbus got back into the match, Camacho put more pressure on his side with a studs-up challenge on Federico Redondo in the middle of the park. Camacho was already on a yellow card and Fischer didn't hesitate to show the veteran center-back his second yellow that resulted in him being sent off.
The Crew were handed the opportunity to tie things up late on after Ian Fray was called for a handball in his own box. Everyone at Lower.com Field was expecting Hernández to bury the effort and make it 3–3, but Callender came up with a clutch save to deny the former Watford player and keep Miami in front.
Miami would go on to hold on for all three points away from home. The narrow victory against the reigning MLS Cup champions was Miami's 20th of the season that brought it to 68 points with two matches to play in the regular season.
Gerardo 'Tata' Martino's team will hope to make more history by breaking the MLS single-season points record should they win their last two matches against Toronto FC and New England Revolution. If Miami picks up six more points, it would be on 74 points that would surpass the 73 points New England set back in 2021 under then-head coach Bruce Arena.
Suárez was already a nailed-on candidate for the Landon Donovan MVP award by managing 18 goals and six assists through 32 matches played, playing a vital part in Miami's success. Alongside Suárez, Messi now has a case for the MVP award due to his impressive return from injury that has him up to 17 goals and 15 assists in just 17 appearances.
Martino's team dug deep during the middle of the campaign in the summer, winning eight of its nine league matches without Messi in the side. Alba has pitched in with 12 assists while the likes of Busquets, Yannick Bright, Julian Gressel, Robert Taylor, Leo Campana and Matías Rojas all had a part to play. Messi will look to propel the Herons throughout the postseason in a bid to lift MLS Cup in December–which would be Miami's first in that category.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Inter Miami Clinch Supporters' Shield Title, Second Trophy in Club History.
