Miami, FL
Inter Miami can’t keep relying on Messi or conceding first
Lionel Messi continuously proves himself to be the most integral part of MLS leaders Inter Miami’s success, even when he doesn’t score or get an assist. In the 3-2 comeback victory over CF Montréal on Saturday night, the Argentina forward once again inspired his teammates offensively, but the Herons are slipping into an uncomfortable pattern of play.
Recently, all Miami’s matches have played out in similar fashion: the backline struggles and concedes before Messi inspires the offense to turn the score around and secure the victory.
This time, it was former Inter Miami player Bryce Duke who took advantage of some weak defending to give Montréal a 1-0 lead in the 22nd minute — the seventh-consecutive time that Miami has conceded the first goal this season. That streak started on April 6 against the Colorado Rapids and extends to Major League Soccer and Concacaf Champions Cup games against CF Monterrey, New York Red Bulls, New England Revolution, Nashville SC, Sporting Kansas City, and now Montréal.
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In the 32nd minute, Jules-Anthony Vilsaint doubled the score to suggest it would be a tough comeback this time around, but in all the MLS matches where it has gone behind, Miami eventually recovered with Messi leading the charge alongside Luis Suárez. And, on Saturday, it was no different.
Messi quietly helped to pave the way back — winning a free kick in a prime position for Matias Rojas’ to strike home the set piece, before Suarez netted the equaliser from a corner four minutes later, then was an integral part of the play for Benjamin Cremaschi’s winner on 59 minutes.
It exposed a striking difference from Miami’s first confrontation against the Canadian side on March 10, when they fell 3-2 as Messi watched from the sidelines while he nursed a hamstring injury. And the Herons experienced something similar against the Red Bulls this season: losing 4-0 without Messi in late March before winning 6-2 over the same opponent just weeks later with the star striker contributing five assists and one goal.
Messi’s impact is clear. Since he made his debut, in all competitions the team is 2-4-6 (WDL) when he does not play and 15-7-3 when he does.
But the defensive issues can’t continue and Miami must quickly learn how to cope without their star man if winning Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup remains an objective. Gerardo Martino’s side may boast an astonishing 35 goals scored, largely due to Messi and Suarez, but it has conceded a shocking 20.
“Yes, it gives us tranquillity to count with players like that on the attack,” defender Franco Negri said afterwards, when asked if having Messi on the team calms nerves. “But we also have to have the responsibility to be better at the back … luckily we have found that amount of goals and won.”
Soon, Negri and his teammates will no longer be able to count on Messi to get those goals back, as the famous No. 10 will head off to lead heavy favorites Argentina at the 2024 Copa America from June 20 to July 14.
La Albiceleste has won the tournament 15 times, the joint-record holder with Uruguay, and should it make it all the way to the final this time around, as expected, Miami would be without Messi for a month. Even if the reigning champions only reach the semifinals, Argentina would still have the third-place playoff on July 13, which would see Messi miss five MLS games: Philadelphia Union (June 15), Columbus Crew (June 19), Nashville SC (June 29), Charlotte FC (July 3), and FC Cincinnati (July 6).
But it could be even worse for Miami if the 36-year-old accepts the invitation from head coach Javier Mascherano to become one of three senior players allowed on Argentina’s Under-23 team for the Olympics from July 24 to August 10. That would see him miss the majority of the 2024 Leagues Cup tournament.
“We have made an invitation to Leo to join us at the Olympic Games and we have agreed to talk to him again,” Mascherano said about Messi’s involvement earlier this month. “We know it’s not an easy situation for him … We will give him the time he needs.”
Two months without Messi leaves Martino’s team vulnerable in all competitions. For now, the coach revealed he is just looking to win as many games as possible and maintain top spot in the Eastern Conference before his star player departs. But what comes next?
Miami’s current offensive options include pairing Campana with Suarez, which proved ineffective in the 4-0 loss to the Red Bulls, or Suarez could play alongside Robert Taylor and Julian Gressel, as he did in the 1-1 draw against New York City FC. But Suarez is 37 years old and may not have the stamina to shoulder the creative burden himself. The 23-year-old Campana may need to step up and lead the attack, as he did in the first half against the Colorado Rapids, though that game saw him create no chances before exiting the pitch with no goals or assists on 42 minutes.
Of course there is no magical substitution for Messi. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner proves time and again why many regard him as one of the game’s best, but he can’t always be there to save the day. Football is not an individual sport and the weeks without Messi will prove to be incredibly tough if Miami can’t sort out its defensive issues.
Miami, FL
MLS: Messi double helps Inter Miami slay Rapids in front of huge crowd
Argentine forward’s brace included the match winner against Colorado Rapids in front of over 75,000 fans in Denver.
Published On 19 Apr 2026
Lionel Messi scored a brace and German Berterame headed another as Inter Miami earned a 3-2 win over the Colorado Rapids in Major League Soccer (MLS) on Saturday in Denver.
Messi scored the go-ahead goal in the 79th minute. He started a run just inside midfield and went unchallenged until the box, where he blasted into the upper left corner for a 3-2 lead.
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Rafael Navarro and Darren Yapi each scored for Colorado (4-4-0, 12 points) in front of 75,824 at Empower Field, the second-largest crowd in MLS history.
Miami (4-1-3, 15 points) took a 1-0 lead in the 18th minute after Colorado goalkeeper Zack Steffen’s pass was intercepted by Yannick Bright. Josh Atencio offered a hard challenge and was shown a yellow card after video review.
Messi took the resulting penalty and rolled his shot straight down the middle as Miami took a 1-0 lead.
Colorado had a solid look at the goal when midfielder Wayne Frederick attempted a one-touch lob. Miami goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair was out of position and well beyond the penalty arc after heading away a loose ball, but Frederick’s attempt sailed over the open net.
In the fifth minute of first-half stoppage time, Miami extended their lead to 2-0, connecting on a series of passes deep in their attacking third. Messi got the run of play started with a tight touch pass to Rodrigo De Paul.
De Paul sent Mateo Silvetti on a run to the boundary line. His inward-spinning cross floated to the front of goal, where Berterame rose above the Colorado defence and tucked a header under the bar.
Navarro’s goal cut Miami’s lead to 2-1. He started a run in midfield and used a step-over move to get an open shot a few steps into the box that tucked inside the left post past a diving St. Clair in the 58th minute.
In the 62nd minute, second-half substitute Yapi settled on a direct pass from Lucas Herrington and sizzled a shot past St. Clair for the equaliser.
Miami closed the win playing a man down as Yannick Bright was sent off with a red card in the 87th minute.
Miami, FL
Former Titans GM mock Miami right tackle to the Cleveland Browns at 6
The Cleveland Browns traded for an extended right tackle, former Houston Texan Tytus Howard, at the start of free agency as they began their rebuild of the offensive line that was awful in 2025. But Howard has played every position on the offensive line except for center, so if it’s all about getting your best five on the field, which it should be, there’s a chance Howard doesn’t play at right tackle in 2026.
While doing a mock draft on Peter Schrager’s podcast, former Tennessee Titans general manager Ran Carthon had the Browns drafting Miami (FL) right tackle sixth overall. He talked about the issue with Howard, but said Mauigoa could either take over the tackle spot or be a really good guard.
Carthon said he knows that Mauigoa would be one of their best five, whether it is at guard or tackle. Some will say that a guy who may be best at guard isn’t worth the sixth overall pick, and I have to disagree. You should draft the best football players, and Francis Mauigoa is my highest-rated offensive lineman and seventh overall. It might be at guard, but I have a good feeling that Mauigoa will find a home in the NFL as a high-quality offensive lineman.
Miami, FL
Inventory drops for first time since 2023 as sales rebound across coastal Miami, beaches
Inventory of homes and condos across the coastal Miami mainland and Miami Beach and the barrier island markets fell in the first quarter, marking the first big inventory drops since 2023.
The Corcoran Group’s first quarter reports don’t cover all of Miami-Dade County, but they offer insight into how the coastal markets, which have a higher share of luxury properties, are performing.
In Miami Beach, Sunny Isles Beach, Bal Harbour, Bay Harbor Islands, Surfside, Miami Beach, Fisher Island and Key Biscayne, single-family home inventory dropped 15 percent annually to 398 listings, and condo inventory was down 13 percent to 3,919 listings.
On Miami’s coastal mainland markets, which include Aventura, Miami Shores, Upper East Side, Edgewater, downtown Miami, Brickell, Coral Gables and Coconut Grove, inventory slipped 4 percent to 4,584 condo listings and 555 single-family listings, down 6 percent year-over-year.
Here’s a closer look at the market:
Miami Beach and the barrier islands
Single-family sales rose 13 percent year-over-year to 85 closings, the first time they have increased since the second quarter of 2024. Condo closings rose 15 percent to 693 closings, the first increase since the last quarter of 2024.
Pricing dropped, with the median price of single-family homes down 4 percent to $3.5 million and the median condo price down 9 percent to $640,000. The average price per square foot was nearly flat at $1,119.
Still, buyers set records with their purchases. Billionaire Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg paid $170 million for the waterfront mansion at 7 Indian Creek Island Road, and Starbucks billionaire Howard Schultz paid $44 million, or $7,949 per square foot, for a penthouse at the Four Seasons Residences at The Surf Club.
Coastal mainland
Sales of single-family homes on the coastal mainland rose 16 percent to 220 closings. While markets like Coral Gables experienced declines in condo and single-family home sales, Coconut Grove home sales surged — up over 100 percent for single-family homes to 47 closings and up 55 percent to 87 condo closings. Condo sales rose 13 percent to 759 closings.
The median price of single-family homes across the coastal mainland rose 11 percent to just over $2 million. The median price of condos increased slightly, up 1 percent, to $602,000.
The priciest deals in the first quarter were the $32 million trade of 12 Tahiti Beach Island Road in Coral Gables, and the $19.8 million sale of a penthouse at Vita at Grove Isle.
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