Inter Miami CF (3W-0L-1D, 10 points) earned a 1-2 victory on the road against Atlanta United in dramatic fashion with a late winner from forward Fafa Picault on Sunday evening to extend the team’s unbeaten run across all competitions to eight at the start of the 2025 season and climb to the top of the Eastern Conference standings. Captain Lionel Messi, who earns Royal Caribbean Icon of the Match honors, scored Inter Miami’s other goal on the night in the win at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Lineup Notes
Inter Miami took the pitch with four changes to its starting XI from the midweek win in Concacaf Champions Cup action. Rocco Ríos Novo started in goal; Gonzalo Luján, Noah Allen, Maximiliano Falcón and Jordi Alba formed a back line of four; Tadeo Allende, Sergio Busquets, Yannick Bright and Telasco Segovia started in midfield; captain Messi and Luis Suárez led the team in attack.
Ríos Novo made his first start for the Club on the night, while Falcón made his first MLS appearance.
Match Action
The home side opened the scoring early on, with forward Emmanuel Latte Lath giving Atlanta United a 1-0 lead in the 11th minute of the match.
Inter Miami equalized shortly after through Messi in the 20th minute. High press from the team in the final third resulted in Messi recovering the ball just outside the box before dribbling past a defender and sending the ball to the back of the net with a tidy chipped finish. The goal marked the first for the Argentine legend this 2025 MLS regular season.
The match then remained tied 1-1 for the remainder of the first 45 minutes, before an electrifying second half which presented a plethora of opportunities in attack for both sides.
Notably, Ríos Novo came up big with key interventions to deny back-to-back attempts from Atlanta in the 58th and 59th minutes, with the goalkeeper first saving a shot from Saba Lobjanidze from the left side of the box before a flying save to tip a long-range attempt from Tristan Muyumba.
In the 83rd minute, Inter Miami made two substitutions in search of the winner, with Picault replacing Allende and Federico Redondo coming on for Bright. The appearance marked Picault’s return after picking up an injury in the team’s first match of the 2025 MLS regular season on Feb. 22.
The substitutions paid off, with Picault scoring a late winner for Inter Miami moments after. In the 89th minute, the Haitian forward rose inside the box to head home a cross from Alba from the left flank after a corner kick to give Inter Miami the lead. The goal was Picault’s first official goal for the Club, while the assist was the second for Alba this regular season.
The 1-2 scoreline then remained unmoved for Inter Miami to extend its unbeaten run at the start of this regular season to four, and to eight across all competitions this 2025 season, and climb to the top of the Eastern Conference standings.
Next Match
Next, Inter Miami will enjoy a bye week prior to resuming MLS regular season action hosting Philadelphia Union at Chase Stadium on March 29. Secure your tickets HERE to cheer on Inter Miami from the stands!
Stats
Possession:
ATL - 48.2%
MIA - 51.8%
Shots:
ATL - 13
MIA - 12
Saves:
ATL - 6
MIA - 3
Corners:
ATL - 3
MIA - 7
Fouls:
ATL - 16
MIA - 7
