Messi goal provides spark, but Inter Miami settles for tie against Philadelphia

Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald on Aug 19, 2026

Published in Soccer

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Inter Miami, eager to get out of a slump, had a rocky start on the road against the Philadelphia Union on Wednesday night, and Lionel Messi came to the rescue and provided a spark, as he often does.

Unfortunately for him and his teammates, it was not enough to secure a victory. Miami settled for a 2-2 tie in a physical, fiery game that ended with Miami’s Yannick Bright and Philadelphia phenom, 16-year-old Cavan Sullivan, being ejected with red cards in the 12th minute of stoppage time, just before the final whistle.

The heated scuffle began after Philadelphia’s Quinn Sullivan tangled with Miami’s Ian Fray. They both ended up on the ground, Bright intervened and then Sullivan’s younger brother, Cavan, ran over and got involved. Bright and Sullivan were shown straight red cards and Quinn got a yellow card.

With the loss, Miami remained winless over the past four games and now trails Eastern Conference leader Nashville by seven points in the standings.

“It was a very tough match, very difficult,” said Inter Miami coach Guillermo Hoyos. “It was an intense match, both teams left it all out there, seeking the win. They are a very strong team. We overcame adversity after falling behind 1-0, but we didn’t manage to get three points. We are not happy going home with a tie. We don’t like to lose or tie, but I always say things happen for a reason.

“Now, we must rest and start thinking about the next game [against Toronto at home Saturday], which is less than 72 hours away.”

Asked about the tussle, Hoyos said: “That is just part of the game. We want to win. They also want to win. It was a very competitive game, with both teams giving maximum effort. Both teams made great sacrifices playing Saturday, Wednesday, Saturday and emotions were high. It’s part of the game.”

Before things got testy Wednesday night, Messi delivered a few memorable moments.

Trailing 1-0 after an 11th-minute Union goal by former Miami striker Indiana Vassilev, Messi crossed the ball over Philadelphia defenders to Luis Suarez, who headed it from the left side of the box to Daniel Pinter, who tapped it in for the equalizer.

It was the first MLS goal for the 19-year-old Pinter, who was promoted from Inter Miami’s second team earlier this season.

Five minutes later, Messi gave Miami the lead, curling his shot in tight space past three defenders, quieting the sellout crowd at Subaru Park. It was his first goal since returning from the World Cup break and the first since the death of his father, Jorge, two weeks ago.

That goal brought Messi’s season total to 13, which is tied for second in the Golden Boot race, one goal behind Petar Musa of FC Dallas.

Inter Miami held the 2-1 lead at halftime.

Philadelphia came out aggressive in the second half, took control of the game, and tied it in the 58th minute on a close-range header from Neil Pierre on a cross from Milan Iloski after a free kick. Pierre, the 6-7 defender, is an 18-year-old Haitian American who is one of the rising young talents in MLS and gave Miami fits all night.

The Union outshot Miami 17-5 and had six shots on goal to just three for Inter Miami, but were unable to take advantage and went home with the tie.

Inter Miami goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair regained the starting job over Rocco Rios Novo for the first time since the World Cup break after Rios Novo made a second major blunder in the road loss to Nashville over the weekend. Hoyos said after the game that the switch was not because of Rios Novo’s performance, but rather because Philadelphia is a team that relies a lot on crosses into the box and they felt St. Clair’s style of play suited that type of game.

St. Clair, the 2025 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year with Minnesota United, signed with Inter Miami in the off-season and started every game until the World Cup. He was on Canada’s roster for the World Cup but did not play.

The rest of Miami’s starting lineup included right back Fray, center back Gonzalo Lujan, center back Maxi Falcon, left back Sergio Reguilon, midfielder Casemiro, midfielder Bright, and midfielder Telasco Segovia.

Midfielder Rodrigo De Paul missed the game while serving a suspension for yellow card accumulation.

Miami entered Wednesday’s match on a three-game losing streak and was routed 4-1 at Nashville midweek after being eliminated from Leagues Cup in the group stage. Through six games in August, Miami has given up 15 goals, and defensive lapses hurt the team again against Philadelphia.

Inter Miami returns home on Saturday to face 11th place Toronto and then has a week to prepare for the Aug. 29 game against 14th place Montreal. Bright will miss Saturday’s game serving the red card suspension but German Berterame is expected to return to action after missing the past six games on concussion protocol following a collision in the road game at Montreal on July 25.