‘Both goals were nothing’ – Alexi Lalas believes Lionel Messi’s’magical moments’ in MLS are being exaggerated after witnessing the Inter Miami star maintain a ‘torrid pace’ against Nashville.
According to Alexi Lalas, Lionel Messi’s goals against Nashville were average finishes, but his consistency has made Inter Miami “must-see TV”.
What happened? The Argentine superstar scored twice and assisted Sergio Busquets as The Herons defeated Nashville 3-1 on Sunday. While former USMNT great Lalas labeled Messi’s brace as normal, he noted that the World Cup winner’s sheer consistency and productivity is providing MLS with the same thrill as his exploits with Barcelona and Argentina.
WHAT ALEXI LALAS SAID: “He is incredible,” Lalas stated during his State of the Union podcast. “And this was such a fascinating game because of the goals that we’ve now begun to identify with MLS, like we’ve done with Barcelona and Argentina for years, and with these great moments. “And yet, both of these aspirations were meaningless. If it wasn’t Messi, we’d be like, alright, whatever, he just scored a penalty and then a broken play, which he finished off.
“But the greatness is that Messi is doing this on a consistent basis, and this pink team must see TV every time they walk out. They frequently deliver on their promises. And individually, Messi is on a tear right now, and if he keeps it up, we will see a historic performance.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE Messi has nine goals and five assists in just 724 minutes of action this year, helping Miami rise to the level of clear favourites for the MLS Cup after previously being among the league’s also-rans. However, as Lalas also mentioned, the key will be keeping the great man fit, since a series of minor injuries have limited his playing time since landing in Florida.
What is next for Lionel Messi and Inter Miami? The Herons travel north this weekend to face the New England Revolution, who have had a disastrous start under new head coach Caleb Porter. Inter Miami leads the Eastern Conference after their first ten matches.