Lionel Messi scored his first goal since the death of his father on August 8, 2026, helping Inter Miami draw 2-2 against Philadelphia Union in a Major League Soccer match on August 19 in the U.S. [1, 2, 3].
Messi, 39, curled a left-footed shot into the net in the 26th minute to give Miami a 2-1 lead. Earlier, Miami’s first goal was set up by Messi following a header from Luis Suarez that led to Daniel Pinter scoring [1, 2, 3].
Philadelphia opened the scoring in the 11th minute through Indiana Vassilev and later equalized in the 58th minute with a goal from Neil Pierre [1, 2, 3]. The match ended 2-2, extending Inter Miami’s winless streak to four matches. The team sits seven points behind the Eastern Conference leaders, Nashville [2, 3].
In the two matches before this game, Messi failed to score and missed a penalty in a 4-1 loss to Nashville. Miami was also eliminated from the Leagues Cup after a 3-2 loss to Leon [2, 3].
Messi now has 13 goals this MLS season, three behind league top scorer Petar Musa, placing him second on the scoring chart [1, 2, 3].
Miami coach Guillermo Hoyos expressed frustration after the draw, saying, "We came to win but we couldn’t. We’re not happy with the draw because we don’t like it, but now we need to try to rest and think about the next game, which is in less than 72 hours" [1].
Inter Miami will play next against Toronto FC, with less than three days to prepare following the draw against Philadelphia Union [1, 2, 3].
