Inter Miami CF (20W-4L-8D, 68 points) earned a historic win on the road over the Columbus Crew on Wednesday night to win a historic first Supporters’ Shield title for the Club. The team clinched the best overall 2024 MLS regular season with the 2-3 win over the Columbus Crew; a brace from captain and Royal Caribbean Icon of the Match Lionel Messi, a goal from striker Luis Suárez, and a penalty save by Drake Callender secured the historic result for the team. The trophy secures the top seed in the Eastern Conference and home-field advantage throughout the Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs for Inter Miami.
Lineup Notes
Inter Miami took the field in Columbus with Callender in goal; Marcelo Weigandt, Ian Fray, Sergio Busquets, Noah Allen and Jordi Alba lined made up a back line of five; Yannick Bright and Federico Redondo lined up in midfield; captain Messi and Diego Gómez flanked striker Suárez to lead the team’s attack.
Match Action
The first half kicked off with the hosts applying pressure in attack and Inter Miami defending stoutly.
It seemed as if the match would enter the half scoreless, but some magic from our captain Messi helped Inter Miami find the opener in the 45th minute. A long-ball from Alba found Messi right outside the box, who masterfully brought the pass down with his chest in between two defenders before dribbling into space and sending the ball to the back of the net with a tidy left-footed finish. The strike was his 16th this regular season 18th across all competitions this year.
Minutes after, Messi secured his brace to extend the team’s lead to 0-2 right before the break with a sublime left-footed strike around the wall from a free kick opportunity in the fifth minute of added time. The goal took Messi’s tally to 17 this regular season and 19 across all competitions in 2024.
The second half started with Columbus shortening the deficit, with a forward Diego Rossi netting in the 46th minute.
Moments after, Suárez took advantage of a loose ball inside the box to head the ball into an empty net to extend Inter Miami’s lead to 1-3 in the 48th minute. The goal was Suárez’s 18th this regular season and 22nd across all competitions this campaign.
Columbus Crew attacker ‘Cucho’ Hernández then converted from the spot in the 61st minute.
Inter Miami keeper Callender then rose to the occasion with several key interventions throughout the remainder of the match. Notably, in the 76th minute he denied two back-to-back attempts inside the box, before heroically stopping another penalty kick opportunity taken by ‘Cucho’ Hernández in the 84th minute to secure the win.
The scoreline then remained unmoved throughout the final minutes and Inter Miami claimed a 2-3 win over the Crew to clinch a historic first-ever Supporters' Shield title for the Club with two regular season fixtures to spare.
Post-Match Reaction
"We are achieving our goals, but the reality is that we are focused on being able to reach December 7, which is what we want. What we did today is no small feat," said head coach Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino.
Next Match
Next, Inter Miami will close out the week playing its first game as Supporters’ Shield champion on the road, with the team traveling north to Canada to take on Toronto FC at BMO Field this Saturday, Oct. 5 at 4 p.m. ET.
Stats:
Possession:
CLB - 49.43%
MIA - 50.57%
Shots:
CLB - 11
MIA - 6
Saves:
CLB - 1
MIA - 4
Corners:
CLB - 4
MIA - 5
Fouls:
CLB - 8
MIA - 11
