Inter Miami CF captain Lionel Messi, striker Luis Suárez, and defender Jordi Alba have been named to the Team of the Matchday presented by Audi for Week 38 of the 2024 regular season. The trio earned TOTM honors following their influential performances in Inter Miami's 6-2 victory against the New England Revolution on Decision Day where Inter Miami established a new record for points in a single MLS season.
Messi makes his twelfth TOTM appearance after coming on as a substitute in the 58th minute with the score tied at two goals each. Our captain would go on to score a hat-trick and dish out an assist, crowning himself as Inter Miami's all-time top scorer with 33 goals, while also sealing the MLS points record in a magnificent display of football in front of the fans at Chase Stadium. With his trio of goals and an assist, he became just the fifth player in MLS history to record at least 36 goal contributions in a single season, and the first player in league history to score three goals and add an assist as a substitute in a match.
Suárez features in the starting eleven in what is his seventh TOTM selection after scoring two crucial goals just before halftime to equalize following New England’s initial 0-2 lead, while also registering two assists. The Uruguayan stepped up in the 40th minute to initiate the team’s comeback after an assist from defender David Martínez, which the forward finished from close range inside the penalty box. Three minutes later, the Uruguayan scored a fantastic goal after a brilliant cut and finish, stunning the New England defense and sending the teams into the break with a tied score.
Alba, for his part, features among the substitutes and earns his sixth TOTM honor. The left-back once again proved to be pivotal for the Herons, recording two assists to achieve an impressive mark of 14 assists in this regular season. The Spaniard provided the assists for Benjamin Cremaschi’s goal and Messi’s second on the night.
This regular season, Messi recorded a team-leading 20 goals and 16 assists for a total of 36 goal contributions. Suárez also tallied 20 goals along with 9 assists, for a total of 29 contributions. Notably, with Messi and Suárez reaching the 20 goal mark on Saturday, Inter Miami became the first Club in MLS history to have two players score at least 20 goals each in a regular season.
Alba, meanwhile, added four goals and 14 assists, becoming the defender with the most goal contributions in the league this MLS regular season with just 28 games played.
2024 Inter Miami Team of the Matchday Honorees:
- Matchday 38: Messi, Suárez, and Alba
