Grading Inter Miami’s Record-Smashing Win Over Philadelphia Amid Messi Injury

Inter Miami will have plenty of worries when it comes to Lionel Messi’s abrupt second half exit.

Inter Miami picked up their second win at home on Sunday night. | CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP/Getty Images

Inter Miami have no problem scoring goals. On Sunday, the Herons played to a thrilling 6–4 win over last-place Philadelphia Union to secure their second-ever win at Nu Stadium, amid a torrential downpour in south Florida.

The match got off to a blistering start, with Philadelphia’s Milan Iloski beating Miami’s Dayne St. Clair in the fourth minute, taking advantage of a defensive breakdown. Minutes later, St. Clair surrendered a misjudged penalty, and Miami found themselves behind 2–0 by the 10th minute.

The struggles wouldn’t last long. Lionel Messi began to charge forward and lead Miami’s attack, first setting up Germán Berterame for a tap-in goal, his first of two in the victory. Luis Suárez netted a hat-trick as well, highlighted by an acrobatic finish, as he chested the ball to himself off Ian Fray’s cross, before smashing a shot past Union backstop Andre Blake. Rodrigo De Paul scored late, sealing the victory on a counterattack for the 6–4 win.

OMG what a goal by Luis Suárez 😱 pic.twitter.com/F3wckQuchB

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 24, 2026

The 4–4 first half marked the first time that eight goals had been scored in the opening period of an MLS match, with the final 10 combined goals falling just short of the match record, which sits at 11combined in a single game.

Yet, the major storyline coming out of the night was Messi’s missing presence later on. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner abruptly left the match with discomfort in his leg in the 73rd minute, clutching his hamstring. He quickly walked towards the locker room for medical treatment, throwing doubt into his availability for the 2026 World Cup in less than 20 days.

Here, Sports Illustrated breaks down the match, grading every Inter Miami player who saw the pitch in the victory.

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Inter Miami Report Card vs. Philadelphia Union (4-3-3)

Lionel Messi was unable to play the full match against the Philadelphia Union. | Megan Briggs/Getty Images

GK: Dayne St. Clair—C-:  The Canadian had troubles early in the match, but finished the night with seven saves and was arguably the best defensive player for Inter Miami, keeping the team in the match.

RB: Ian Fray—B: Ian Fray continued to take on significant minutes with Inter Miami and was dynamic down the wing, leading to his assist on Suárez’s acrobatic finish on the 3–2 goal.

CB: Gonzalo Luján—C-: Luján continued to grow into his defensive responsibilities with Inter Miami, but struggled to keep up with 16-year-old Cavan Sullivan and the other Philadelphia attackers.

CB: Micael—F: The Brazilian center back had one of his worst games in an Inter Miami kit, struggling to keep up with Iloski, while other attackers simply side-stepped past him.

LB: Sergio Reguilón—D: Sergio Reguilón’s presence with Inter Miami has been underwhelming, and Sunday was no different. On a night where attacking potential was wide open, he failed to make any significant contribution.

RM: Rodrigo De Paul—A: Rodrigo De Paul has been putting in double-workout days with Lionel Messi in preparation for the World Cup and looks as fit as ever. Having recently celebrated his 32nd birthday, the Argentine veteran is in stellar form and scored the eventual winning goal.

CM: Yannick Bright—B: The most consistent Miami player of 2026, Bright jumped into the attack throughout Sunday, but failed to provide any real threat. However, his nine defensive contributions were vital to bringing some semblance of control to the chaos.

LM: Telasco Segovia—D: Telasco Segovia had a performance to forget, struggling to make any attacking inroads and being beaten several times by Iloski and Sullivan.

RW: Lionel Messi—B: In a 10-goal game, it’s shocking to see Messi left out of the goalscoring. Yet, that’s exactly what happened on Sunday, even though he picked up a pair of assists before leaving the match with an injury.

ST: Germán Berterame—B+: Germán Berterame is still in the mix for the Mexico World Cup roster and a brace, as much as Messi did most of the work, to get him to seven MLS goals this season gives him a strong chance of cracking the squad.

LW: Luis Suárez—A++++!!!!: The Uruguay legend was outstanding! A brilliant finish on his second goal to control it with his chest before smashing a half-volley into the goal. His movements and positioning in the box were also stellar, completely turning the clock back to the best moments of his career.

SUB: David Ayala (67’ for Segovia)—C+: Ayala made sure he did not throw Miami off their game in the final 23 minutes.

SUB: Facundo Mura (67’ for Reguilón)—C: Mura made a confident 26 passes after entering the match in the 68th minute and silenced the wing, which Reguilón had struggled to shut down.

SUB: Mateo Silvetti (73’ for Messi)—A+: Stepping in as an Argentine for Messi is far from easy, but Silvetti did so with flying colors. He played a key role in the winning goal and insurance marker, picking up an official assist on De Paul's counterattacking 6–4 goal.

Subs not used: Rocco Ríos Novo (GK), Maxi Falcón, Noah Allen, Alex Shaw, David Ruíz

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One Thing We Can’t Ignore: The Messi Injury

There is plenty of concern around Messi’s injury. Did he have to risk it? | Megan Briggs/Getty Images

Nearly every league in the world played games this weekend. There is no blame on MLS for doing so, even as it is expected to send a record-number of players to the World Cup on home soil this summer.

For interim manager Guillermo Hoyos, though, there is some concern. Yes, Miami wants to win every game, and yes, Messi probably wants to play every minute he can—yet, this was also a game against the worst team in the league and one that Miami could, technically, afford to lose. It’s what ensures Messi saw the pitch that makes it so perplexing. Why risk a player like that in a game like this? Miami could probably have played other players and still secured three points—and if they fell short, well, then they can look to the rest of the season in the hunt for a top seed in the MLS Cup playoffs.

Messi and his teammates are ultra-competitive. That’s why they’ve hit the levels that they have in their careers. Still, he is 38 years old with an intrepid injury history—how was that not more of a concern? At this point, it’s water under the bridge, with Argentina and soccer fans from across the world holding their collective breath.

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What’s Next For Inter Miami?

The World Cup! Several of Inter Miami’s stars are likely World Cup-bound, with goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair potentially serving as co-host Canada’s starting goalkeeper, with that roster set to be unveiled on Friday. Other World Cup stars include Argentina’s Messi and De Paul as well as Mexico's Berterame.

Inter Miami will resume MLS action on July 22 against the Chicago Fire.

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