It was a magical night on Friday for Inter Miami and Lionel Messi, in a sold-out stadium and in front of the world the legendary Argentine number 10 scored a sensational free kick that has been seen over 42 million times on MLS’ Twitter account. Messi helped Inter Miami snap a winless streak and get his era and the team’s new era off on the right foot.
Now on Tuesday the last place MLS side will face Tata Martino’s old team, Atlanta United. With the five stripes Martino won an MLS Cup and laid the foundations for the philosophy the club uses today. Still reports of a rift with Sporting Director Carlos Bocanegra have been reported, and not everything was rosy in Atlanta during the former Mexican national team coach’s time.
After playing in the second half both Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets are slated to start against Atlanta United as per ESPN journalist Esteban Edul, it will be the pair’s first attempt to play a full 90 minutes for Inter Miami.
Messi and Busquets to start for Inter Miami against Atlanta United
Before Messi and Busquets took the field for Inter Miami against Cruz Azul, the squad was filled with a lot of nerves and somehow managed to go to the half winning 1-0, after Cruz Azul was not able to convert on various chances.
In the second half, Inter Miami improved dramatically as Messi and Busquets were able to connect link play passes with the rest of the team, eventually leading to three clear cut chances. Now Messi hopes his first game for Inter Miami can lead to qualification for the next round of the Leagues Cup. A draw will be sufficient for Inter Miami.