Substitute Fafà Picault scored for Inter Miami CF in the 89th minute, and Lionel Messi struck for the first time in the MLS regular season in a dramatic, late 2-1 victory at Atlanta United FC on Sunday.

Miami (3-1-0) triumphed despite six saves from Atlanta’s Brad Guzan, who played an integral role in his team’s playoff upset of Messi’s squad in a best-of-three series this past fall during the opening round of the MLS Cup playoffs.

Atlanta shocked the Supporters’ Shield winners by winning the rubber match 3-2 on the road to eliminate Messi and Miami from the playoffs.

Messi’s goal came in the 20th minute of just his second regular-season appearance for Miami, which has already played eight matches because of Concacaf Champions Cup action. The World Cup winner started the game after being sidelined for three games due to muscle fatigue before coming off the bench on Thursday night in a 2-0 win at Cavalier FC of Jamaica.

The start for Messi came on the heels of Miami manager Javier Mascherano defending the usage of his star player early in the season.

Emmanuel Latte Lath scored his third goal in the 11th minute to give Atlanta (1-1-2) an early lead. But his teammates were still stuck on one goal combined as Atlanta’s winless run extended to three matches after defeating Montreal in their season opener.

Both teams had plenty of chances for a second-half winner from open play, but Picault provided an unlikely header to ultimately decide the game.

Jordi Alba got the ball out wide from a late, short corner kick and sent an outswinging ball to the back post. Picault outmuscled Ajani Fortune and sent a header bouncing back across goal, somehow wrong-footing Guzan and nestling inside the far left post.

It was Picault’s first goal for his sixth MLS club, having moved to Miami from Vancouver this offseason.

Miguel Almirón started the attack, opening the scoring with an excellent ball over the top to play Brooks Lennon down the right. Lennon then played an excellent cross that Latte Lath met with a powerful back post header past Rocco Ríos Novo.

Latte Lath thought he had his second just after the quarter-hour mark, but it was ruled offside. Miami pulled level on its next foray forward.

Guzan sprawled off his line to disrupt an initial cross from the right, but Messi surprised Bartosz Slisz with some rare defensive pressure to dispossess the midfielder as Atlanta tried to play out. From there, he weaved his way past the sliding Derrick Williams, then deftly chipped the charging Guzan.

Atlanta United play FC Cincinnati on the road Saturday. Inter Miami are idle until they host the Philadelphia Union on March 29.

Information from Reuters and The Associated Press was used in this story.

While the main focus for the Atlanta Hawks is on finishing the season strong and making the playoffs, the offseason is getting closer and this one could be big for the Hawks in terms of their franchise direction. Trae Young is extension eligible, as is emerging star Dyson Daniels. Not only that, but the Hawks could have as many as two first round picks and will have some key free agents such as Clint Capela, Larry Nance Jr, Caris LeVert, and Garrison Matthews. Will the Hawks choose to bring any of those guys back?

One of the big questions the Hawks are going to face is what they do going forward at the center position. Onyeka Okongwu has taken over as the starter for most of the seasona and has played well. Okongwu is averaging 12.7 PPG and 8.4 RPG while shooting 57% from the field and 30% from three. The defense has improved as well and it is very possible that Okongwu is the Hawks starting center moving forward. But, would the Hawks consider trying to upgrade at the position? They will have to add at least two more centers next season with Capela and Nance being free agents and that could come through the draft or a trade.

In a recent article, Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus listed Nets center Nic Claxton as a potential top trade target for Atlanta:

“Assuming the Hawks continue their relationship with Trae Young, the team has some flexibility to improve its roster while staying under the tax—though much of that could go to retaining free agents. Keeping Capela, LeVert, etc., would limit the team’s ability to use the large trade exception while staying within the team’s projected budget.

With Young, a healthy Jalen Johnson and three wings (Dyson Daniels, Zaccharie Risacher and Terance Mann), Atlanta can commit to Okongwu as the primary center or play him off the bench while acquiring a full-time center. Perhaps the answer is keeping LeVert as another scoring wing while going after a reasonably priced center.”

This would be a potentially interesting pairing for the Hawks if they made a move for Claxton. He has been one of the NBA’s best defenders in the past, though he has seen a dip in his production this season, though that could be attributed to the caliber of team he is on. He would be a great partner with Trae Young in the pick and roll while also being a rim-protector for the Hawks. He would have three years left on his deal and he and Okongwu would form one of the best center tandems in the NBA. If they traded for Claxton, it would likely mean they are looking elsewhere in the draft to fill other needs such as backup point guard, shooting, or frontcourt depth.

The offseason is still a ways away and there is no indication that the Nets are even going to move Claxton or if the Hawks would even be interested. It is a big offseason in Atlanta though as they continue to shape their team for the future.

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ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – Severe weather is rolling into our viewing area and teams are out trying to get the unhoused to safety.

When you get somewhere and don’t want to go back, you try to pull people up, so they don’t stay where you’ve been.

“I know a lot of the guys that we interact with, they have trust issues because of things they have run into on the streets, but I try to be that person that they can trust to say, ‘Hey, I was in a similar situation man.’ said Jabarri Tucker.

Jabarri is part of Frontline Response’s crisis team. He’s out now looking for people who need a safe place to be as severe weather moves in.

“Anytime there is a crisis going on we go out and check on two particular groups of people: the unhoused population and the people who are suspected of being trafficked,” said Terry Tucker, chief executive officer of Frontline Response International.

Many people who are living on the streets might not always have ways to get weather information, so Tucker and his team could be their first heads up that severe weather is on the way.

For the past five days, the organization says they have been encouraging people to come in. They’re planning on being out until 1 a.m. Sunday as well.

These are the times we see who the helpers in our community are. These are also the times we see what that help does for communities.

“This place is a home for me, but has given me hope for the future,” said Kareem, a Frontline Response client.

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