Lionel Messi Breaks MLS Records While Leading Inter Miami to Victory Over New York Red Bulls

Posted on May 5, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Lionel Messi continues breaking records…

The 36-year-old Argentine professional footballer scored a goal and had five assists as Inter Miami trounced the New York Red Bulls 6-2 on Saturday night, with the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner setting no fewer than three Major League Soccer records in the effort.

The six goal contributions, five assists and five assists in a half were all MLS records.

Messi, who earned the MLS Player of the Month Award for April, has now scored and assisted in six consecutive league matches.

Luis Suárez had three goals and Matias Rojas scored twice as Inter Miami got six unanswered goals to come back from a 1-0 deficit at halftime. Messi and Suárez now have a league-leading 10 goals each, helping keep Inter Miami (7-2-3, 24 points) atop the Eastern Conference.

The win extended Miami’s unbeaten string to six. The streak began after a 4-0 loss at New York on 20 April, in which Messi did not play because of an injury.

Miami began the rout with Rojas’ equalizer in the 48th minute. Messi centered a pass to Rojas whose left-footed shot landed under the crossbar.

Suárez then fed a charging Messi with a touch pass to beat New York goalkeeper Carlos Coronel with a shot from 15 yards.

Rojas made it 3-1 with his second goal in the 62nd minute on an assist from Messi.

Messi then contributed on former Barcelona teammate Suárez’s first goal in the 69th minute.

Suárez also struck in the 75th and 81st minutes before the Red Bulls (4-2-5, 17 points) closed the scoring on Emil Forsberg’s penalty kick in stoppage time.

New York controlled possession early and eventually capitalized on a Miami defensive breakdown that resulted on Dante Vanzeir’s goal in the 30th minute. José Carmona ran deep into the right wing of the large area and blasted a shot that bounced off the far post. An unmarked Vanzeir retrieved the deflection and converted from 15 yards.

Messi had his only scoring opportunity of the first half in the 24th minute, when Coronel stopped his shot from the edge of the penalty area.

Messi’s former Barcelona teammate Jordi Alba missed his third straight game because of a hamstring injury.

Both clubs will continue MLS play next Saturday. Inter Miami will visit CF Montreal while the Red Bulls will host New England.

Carlos Aviña Reportedly Joining San Diego FC as Sporting Director

Posted on April 2, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Carlos Aviña is thisclose to joining Major League Soccer.

The MLS’ latest expansion team San Diego FC is set to name the Mexican soccer executive, currently serving as AS Monaco’s director of football, as the club’s first sporting director, per ESPN.

The appointment of Aviña is imminent with an announcement expected soon, sources said.

The news of Aviña’s potential appointment was first reported by Fabrizio Romano.

San Diego was awarded an MLS expansion team in May 2023, with the team to begin play as the league’s 30th club in 2025.

San Diego FC CEO Tom Penn hinted at the arrival of key front office staff in February, telling ESPN: “We’ll hire a sporting director first, coach would be after that, I’d say likely sometime in Q2 [of 2024] you would hear more.”

The new face of San Diego will arrive with plenty of experience, working as Club America‘s head of sports intelligence from 2017 to 2019 before being promoted to director of football development and player recruitment. He then joined Club Brugge in 2021, serving as sporting director.

Aviña has been with Monaco for the past 10 months, helping the team to third in the Ligue 1 table with 49 points from 27 games and a 14W-6L-7D.

Now, with San Diego, he’ll be tasked with building the team from scratch.

The team has made just three player signings ahead of their MLS debut, bringing on U.S. youth national team goalkeeper Duran Ferree and international arrivals Jeppe Tverskov and Marcus Ingvartsen.

Despite the club’s location, Penn has said that he’s not solely focused on making the first major signing a high-profile Mexican star.

“We don’t have that specific kind of goal, no,” he told ESPN in October 2023. “We want to find foundational players that are gonna be with us for the formative years of a club. We’re gonna work with the key leaders in football operations that will be identified to make those key decisions.”

LA Galaxy Sign Gabriel Pec from Brazil’s Vasco da Gama Through 2028 MLS Season

Posted on January 30, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Gabriel Pec has landed an out of this world deal…

The LA Galaxy have announced the signing of the 22-year-old Brazilian professional footballer, a winger, from Brazilian top-flight club Vasco da Gama.

Pec, a Brazil youth international player, is signed through the 2028 Major League Soccer (MLS) season and will occupy a designated player spot.

The reported $10 million transfer fee surpasses the previous Galaxy record of $9.4 million paid to Spain’s Sevilla in 2020 for striker Javier “Chicharito” Hernández.

“Gabriel has been a key contributor for one of the biggest clubs in Brazil’s Serie A and we are beyond excited that he is choosing to join the Galaxy as the next step in his burgeoning career,” Galaxy general manager Will Kuntz said in a release.

“In addition to his work rate and attacking prowess, he will also be bringing the experience of representing his native Brazil in the qualification tournament for the 2024 Paris Olympics when he joins our group. We are thrilled to announce Gabriel as the newest member of the LA Galaxy.”

Pec has spent his entire career at Vasco da Gama, tallying 26 goals and 14 assists in 178 matches since 2019.

Lionel Messi Named The Best FIFA Men’s Player for Third Time

Posted on January 15, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Lionel Messi is the best… again.

The 36-year-old Argentine soccer superstar has won his third FIFA The Best men’s award, beating Manchester City‘s Erling Haaland and Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappé for the honor.

The timeline for the award was between December 19, 2022 — the day after Messi led Argentina to win the World Cup in Qatar — and August 20, 2023.

Messi won the award mostly for his work at PSG and Inter Miami, having helped the French giants to another Ligue 1 title before moving to MLS in July and inspiring Interm Miami to their first-ever trophy, the Leagues Cup.

On the international level, Messi helped Argentina top CONMEBOL‘s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification table after six games.

Messi was not in attendance in London to collect the award.

The three nominees for the award were compiled, FIFA said, in collaboration with its “football stakeholders,” with short lists determined by two separate panels of former players and coaches. The winner of the award was then voted between journalists, fans, national team captains and managers.

The award is Messi’s third FIFA The Best title — his first coming in 2019 and second coming last year. He’s the only player to win the award three times.

He has also won a record eight Ballon d’Or awards.

Messi had a whirlwind 2023. In the first half, he won the French top flight for a second time but was booed by fans in his final games following a second successive round-of-16 exit from the Champions League.

The height of Messi’s season came after he joined Miami in July, when he swiftly inspired the franchise to win the Leagues Cup with a series of individual heroics, although the club missed out on the MLS Playoffs.

Here’s the full list of men’s awards:

The Best FIFA Men’s Player: Lionel Messi
Puskás Award: Guilherme Madruga (Botafogo-SP)
FIFA Fair Play Award: Brazil senior men’s players
FIFA Fan Award: Hugo Miguel Iñiguez
Men’s Coach of the Year: Pep Guardiola
Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year: Éderson (Man City)

Men’s World XI:
Goalkeeper: Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid)
Defence: John Stones (Man City), Kyle Walker (Man City), Rúben Dias (Man City)
Midfield: Bernardo Silva (Man City), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Kevin De Bruyne (Man City)
Forwards: Erling Haaland (Man City), Kylian Mbappé (PSG), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid)

Luis Suárez Becomes Latest High-Profile Talent to Join MLS Outfit Inter Miami

Posted on December 23, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

It’s official… Luis Suárez is reuniting with Lionel Messi in South Florida.

The 36-year-old Uruguayan striker has completed his move to Inter Miami, sealing a reunion with former Barcelona teammate Messi, the MLS club confirmed Friday.

Suárez moves to Inter Miami as a free agent after departing Brazilian club Grêmio, where he played 53 matches in all competitions last season and scored 26 goals.

His 17 league goals helped Grêmio finish second in the Brazilian Serie A and saw him win the Golden Ball as the best player in the division.

Suárez signed a one-year contract with Inter Miami, taking him through the end of the 2024 season.

“We promised our fans we would pursue the world’s best players to build a squad that can compete at the highest echelons in the Americas,” managing owner Jorge Mas said in the statement put out by the club.

“Coming off an award-winning season in Brazil, Luis will be a key addition to our roster. We will continue to be ambitious and always strive to pursue the freedom to dream.”

The move to Inter Miami, which sees Suárez cut short the two-year deal he signed with Grêmio, reunites him with former Barcelona teammates Messi, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets. The quartet spent six seasons together at Camp Nou between 2014 and 2020, winning four LaLiga titles and one Champions League.

“I’m very happy and excited to take on this new challenge with Inter Miami,” Suárez said in the statement. “I can’t wait to get started, and I’m ready to work to make the dream of winning more titles with this great Club a reality. I’m optimistic about what we can achieve together with our shared ambition.

“I will give my all to bring joy to these great fans I’ve heard so much about while I wear Inter Miami colors, and look forward to reuniting with great friends and players. I’m also eager to meet my new teammates and coaches.”

Fernando Gago Named New Head Coach of Liga MX’s Chivas

Posted on December 20, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Fernando Gago is headed to Liga MX…

The Mexican soccer league’s Chivas have hired the 27-year-old Argentine football manager and former player as their new head coach.

Gago replaces Veljko Paunovic (21W-8D-13L), who mutually parted ways with Liga MX’s second-most successful side on December 15 after a disappointing quarterfinal playoff exit in the 2023 Apertura season.

Although Paunovic initially exceeded expectations with a run to the 2023 Clausura final in his first season in charge, this season’s quarterfinal exit, coupled with a failure to qualify for the knockout round of the summer’s inaugural MLS-Liga MX Leagues Cup tournament, ultimately led to his departure.

Gago will now begin his third managerial job — and first outside of his home country — after previously leading Racing Club (2021-23) and Aldosivi (2021).

With Aldosivi, Gago produced inconsistent results and resigned in October 2021 after suffering seven defeats in a row.

Brought on by Racing Club weeks later, Gago closed out the 2021 Liga Profesional de Futbol season with a 3W-0D-5L record.

After mixed performances in 2022’s Copa de la Liga Profesional, Copa Argentina and Copa Sudamericana, Racing Club eventually gained steam with a second place finish in the 2022 league season, a Trofeo de Campeones title and a Supercopa Internacional championship in January 2023.

However, questionable results returned, including a 12th place finish in the regular season, which led to Gago’s exit in early October.

Despite being plagued by injuries as a player, Gago collected 61 caps for Argentina‘s national team, as well as a long list of club titles through Boca Juniors, Real Madrid and Velez Sarsfield.

The midfielder also played abroad for Roma and Valencia.

Chivas return to play in January for the 2024 Clausura season. The Guadalajara side are second in Liga MX’s all-time list for championships with 12, but have only lifted once league trophy since 2007.

On Sunday, historic rivals Club América secured their 14th Liga MX title after defeating Tigres 4-1 on aggregate in the 2023 Apertura final.

Carlos Andres Gomez Helps Lead Colombia to 3-2 Victory Over Mexico

Posted on December 16, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Carlos Andres Gomez has pulled off an impressive victory…

The 21-year-old Colombian professional footballer, a winger and forward for Major League Soccer’s Real Salt Lake, scored a 92nd minute goal to help secure Colombia’s 3-2 victory over Mexico in Saturday’s friendly at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

With both teams featuring experimental rosters due to the match landing on a non-FIFA date, the friendly kicked off in energetic fashion with dangerous first-half opportunities for both sides.

While Puebla’s Guillermo Martínez placed a header on target for Mexico in the ninth minute, Colombia forced two saves from El Tri goalkeeper Jose Antonio Rodríguez by the midway point of the first half.

But it was Mexico that opened the scoring in the 40th minute with the first goal of the night. Monterrey’s Omar Govea intercepted the ball and did well to connect with Martínez in the final third, before the Mexico midfielder received the ball back and slotted a shot past former Napoli goalkeeper David Ospina.

In the second half, the back-and-forth continued. Martínez made it 2-0 for Mexico after his 50th minute shot found its way under Ospina, and in the 55th minute Colombia narrowed that lead to 2-1 thanks to New York Red Bulls defender Andrés Reyes finding the back of the net after a close range assist from Sebastian Velásquez.

Colombia then made it 2-2 in the 69th minute after a highlight-worthy strike from Racing Club‘s Roger Martínez. Following a clash between two players in the midfield, Martínez rushed forward with the ball and launched a powerful attempt that Rodriguez failed to halt.

Appearing destined for a draw, the game swung in Colombia’s favor in stoppage time after Gomez pounced on an 18-yard box assist from David Macalister Silva to make it 3-2.

Moments later, the final whistle blew, extending Colombia’s undefeated streak to 19 games.

Mexico manager Jaime “Jimmy” Lozano, who took over as interim coach before winning the Gold Cup and being given the permanent position in August, closes out 2023 with a 7W-3D-3L record.

Colombia manager Nestor Lorenzo, hired in the summer 2022, maintains an 8W-5D-0L unbeaten record.

Earlier this month, both teams were involved in the draw for the 2024 Copa America, which will be hosted in the United States. In Group B, Mexico will face Ecuador, Venezuela and Jamaica and, in Group D, Colombia will face Brazil, Paraguay and the winner of a playoff between Costa Rica and Honduras.

Cucho Hernandez Named MLS Cup MVP After Leading Columbus Crew Past Defending MLS Cup Champions Los Angeles FC

Posted on December 9, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Cucho Hernandez has helped dethrone the reigning champions…

The 24-year-old Colombian professional footballer scored a goal to help the Columbus Crew defeat Los Angeles FC (LAFC) on Saturday to give his team their third MLS Cup and earn this year’s MLS Cup MVP award.

Two of those titles have come in the last four seasons. Columbus advanced to the 2015 title game but lost to the Portland Timbers. The LA Galaxy‘s five titles are still the most for a Major League Soccer franchise.

Saturday’s win capped the Crew’s impressive turnaround this season. After winning the 2020 MLS Cup, Columbus missed the playoffs the next two seasons. The franchise has since undergone significant changes, including the hiring of Wilfried Nancy as the team’s head coach.

Hernandez scored in the 33rd minute, putting Columbus up 1-0 on a penalty kick. He deposited the ball in the lower left corner for his fifth goal in six playoff matches this season. LAFC defender Diego Palacios was whistled for a handball off his right arm at the top of the box, setting up the penalty.

Yaw Yeboah added a goal in the 37th minute, doubling Columbus’ lead when Malte Amundsen threaded a pass through to Yeboah on the left flank. From there, Yeboah dribbled to the goal box and slipped a shot past goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau.

The objective for the Crew in the second half was to avoid the same fate as FC Cincinnati a week earlier in the Eastern Conference final. Columbus rallied in that game from a two-goal deficit in the final 15 minutes of regulation and won 3-2 in extra time.

LAFC’s Bouanga made it 2-1, scoring on his own rebound after Patrick Schulte made a save at the left post in the 74th minute. Bouanga, who led the MLS with 20 goals, has 38 goals in 49 matches in all competitions this year.

Earlier this year, Hernandez was named to the MLS Best XI, an annual acknowledgment of the best eleven players in Major League Soccer. The selection is determined by a collection of media, players and MLS club technical staffs.

Lionel Messi & Inter Miami CF to Play El Salvador in Friendly This January

Posted on November 30, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Lionel Messi is heading to Central American…

The 36-year-old Argentine soccer star and his Inter Miami CF teammates will begin their preparations for the 2024 season with a friendly against the El Salvador national team in San Salvador on January 19, the club announced Thursday.

The game at the Estadio Cuscatlán is the first confirmed match for Inter Miami ahead of the Major League Soccer (MLS) season, which is expected to begin in late February.

“We’re excited to start announcing our preseason plans and preparations ahead of a thrilling 2024 campaign,” Inter Miami chief soccer officer and sporting director Chris Henderson said.

“We look forward to facing the El Salvador national team in what will be a good first test for our squad against the best players from the country.”

The announcement follows Inter Miami’s denial last week that it had agreed to take part in the Riyadh Season Cup in Saudi Arabia in February. Event organizers had announced that Messi and Miami would face off against Cristiano Ronaldo‘s Saudi Pro League team Al Nassr as part of the event.

Inter Miami, though, said the announcement was “inaccurate” but that it looked forward to “showcasing our players on Inter Miami CF’s first international tour which will be announced in the coming weeks.”

Inter Miami, which failed to make the MLS playoffs, finished the 2023 season with a loss to Charlotte FC on October 21. The club then took on New York City FC in a friendly on November 10 to celebrate Messi’s record-extending eighth Ballon d’or award.

Despite failing to make the postseason, Messi made a huge impression when joining the club along with fellow former Barcelona stars Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba in July. Messi scored 10 goals to lead Miami to its first-ever title with the Leagues Cup as fans across the U.S. clamored to see the Argentine World Cup winner in action.

El Salvador is ranked 78th in the latest FIFA rankings and most recently drew home and away against Curaçao earlier this month.

Also on Thursday, Inter Miami announced that it has sold out season tickets for 2024, just over two weeks after they went on sale.

Luciano Acosta Named 2023 Major League Soccer MVP

Posted on November 27, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Luciano Acosta is Major League Soccer’s all-star player of the year…

The 29-year-old Argentine professional footballer and FC Cincinnati midfielder has been named the 2023 MLS MVP, the league has revealed.

Acosta received 60.37% of the vote among players, media and technical staff to easily beat LAFC forward Denis Bouanga, who received 14.97%.

Atlanta United FC‘s Thiago Almada finished third in the voting with 6.46%.

“I’m very proud of this team,” Acosta said in a video produced by the team that was shot when he was told he had won the award. “I think everybody deserves something this year. We deserve more. We have to give it our all. Let’s go.”

He later joked, “I don’t want to go to practice. I won the MVP.”

Acosta, a Buenos Aires, Argentina, native led the league with 31 goal contributions during the regular season, with 17 goals and 14 assists, and helped Cincinnati to their first Supporters Shield.

Cincinnati remains in contention to claim the MLS Cup, as it faces in-state rivals the Columbus Crew in the Eastern Conference final this Saturday.

Acosta is just the sixth player in league history to record three or more seasons with at least 10 goals and 10 assists.

Acosta is the ninth South American-born player to earn the honor and first since Josef Martínez won the award with Atlanta United in 2018.

Other Argentines to win the award are Diego Valeri (Portland Timbers, 2015), Guillermo Barros Schelotto (Columbus Crew, 2008), and Christian Gómez (D.C. United, 2006).

Acosta has been a prolific attacking player ever since he entered the league in 2016 with D.C. United, scoring 58 goals and adding 78 assists, the most goal contributions by any player in that span.

Only Hany Mukhtar of Nashville SC, last year’s MVP, has made more contributions since Acosta made his Cincinnati debut in 2021.

His 43 regular-season assists since 2021 are the second-most of any MLS player during that time, and only Seattle Sounders FC midfielder Nicolás Lodeiro (80) has more regular-season assists than the Cincinnati playmaker since 2016.

Acosta began his professional career with famed Argentine side Boca Juniors, making his professional debut in 2014.

He spent the 2016 campaign on loan with D.C. United before making the move permanent a year later, and went on to score 25 goals in 137 league and cup appearances.

He spent 15 months with Liga MX side Atlas before joining FC Cincinnati.

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