Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF visited Citi Field for the first time on Wednesday night, defeating New York City FC 4-0 and ending its three-game winning streak.
Messi scored his league-high 23rd and 24th goals of the season, as Miami earned its second-ever win over NYCFC and first in six games, dating back to August 13, 2022.
Here are three thoughts from New York City's heaviest loss of the season.
Hudson River Blue Staff
1. Miami strikes first
Right from kickoff, you could feel the intensity of this game.
Miami had the better of the chances early on, but NYCFC should've taken the lead in the 29th minute. Kevin O'Toole played a fantastic ball to Nicolás Fernández — starting as striker in place of Alonso Martínez — who did well to beat Miami defender Maximiliano Falcón, but put his shot wide from point-blank range.
Miami made New York City rue that missed chance 14 minutes later. Messi threaded an excellent through ball to Baltasar Rodríguez, who slotted the ball in the back of the net past Matt Freese. It was Messi's 12th assist of the season and his third assist in two games against NYCFC.
Baltasar Rodríguez gives Inter Miami the lead | Courtesy MLS
New York City trailed at halftime 1-0 after a disappointing first half.
2. NYCFC's attack goes ghost
With Martínez benched, there was a massive difference in NYCFC's attack.
Besides that great chance from Nico Fernández, New York City's offense didn't look threatening at all — and they should have. After all, Miami has conceded six goals in its last three games and has allowed 46 goals this season — the fourth-most in the Eastern Conference, only fewer than bottom-feeders Atlanta United, DC United, and CF Montréal.
NYCFC was held scoreless for the first time in nine games, and even with Martínez's addition halfway through the second half, nothing changed.
3. Messi finally scores against NYCFC
NYCFC fans will famously remember last season's 1-1 tie against Miami at Yankee Stadium, when James Sands put on a man-of-the-match performance. Not only did he score his first career MLS goal deep in stoppage time to steal a point, but he also defended Messi brilliantly, frustrating the Argentine legend, who earned a game-low FotMob rating of 5.8.
Messi made more of an impact the next time these two sides faced each other, recording two assists in the 2025 season opener at Chase Stadium in February, which ended in a 2-2 tie.
Making his first visit to the Big Apple in over a year, Messi got the assist on Miami's opening goal in the 43rd minute, but that was just the appetizer. In the 74th minute, Sergio Busquets played Messi in behind, who chipped over Freese and into the back of the net for his league-leading 23rd goal of the season.
Lionel Messi scores against NYCFC | Courtesy MLS
Luis Suárez joined in on the fun shortly after, sending Freese the wrong way from the penalty spot.
Luis Suárez scores the penalty | Courtesy MLS
Minutes later, Messi got his brace with a signature finish from the 38-year-old, capping off New York City's worst loss since the 5-1 home defeat to the Philadelphia Union on September 18, 2024.
It's a gut-wrenching loss for NYCFC, which entered Wednesday on a three-game winning streak, looking to continue its surge up the Eastern Conference. A huge Hudson River Derby awaits on Saturday, with the New York Red Bulls looking to keep their playoff hopes alive and continue their postseason streak.
