Lionel Messi scored his first goal since the death of his father, and he pointed to the sky in remembrance. However, Inter Miami had to settle for a 2-2 draw against Philadelphia Union in Major League Soccer (MLS) on Wednesday.
The Argentine superstar put Miami ahead 2-1 in the 26th minute with a characteristic left-footed curler into the far corner. After a restrained celebration with his teammates, the Miami captain raised both arms to the sky to honor his father.
Jorge Messi, Lionel's father and agent, passed away on August 8, 2026, at the age of 68. Earlier in the match, Messi had a hand in Miami's opening goal just five minutes prior, providing a pass to Luis Suarez on the left flank, and the Uruguayan forward headed the ball across for Daniel Pinter to score from close range.
Philadelphia Union earned their point through goals from Indiana Vassilev in the 11th minute and Neil Pierre in the 58th.
“We came here to win but couldn't do it,” said Miami coach Guillermo Hoyos. “We're not happy with the draw, but now we need to rest and think about the next match, which is in less than 72 hours,” he added, referring to the clash with Toronto FC on Saturday.
With this goal, Messi, 39, moved into second place in the league's scoring chart with 13 goals, three behind Croatian Petar Musa, who scored twice in Dallas's 4-3 win over Real Salt Lake on Wednesday.
Miami's star had failed to score in two matches since returning from Argentina following his father's death. In those two games, Miami lost 3-2 to Mexico's Leon, which eliminated them from the Leagues Cup, before suffering a 4-1 defeat to Nashville in MLS, where Messi missed a penalty.
Miami are now winless in four consecutive matches and trail Eastern Conference leaders Nashville by seven points, as Nashville beat New York Red Bulls 1-0 on Wednesday.
