Inter Miami CF beat the New England Revolution 2-1 on Sunday in Foxborough, Massachusetts, with Lionel Messi once again providing the magic touch, this time to ensure his team's spot in the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup.
The win also helped Miami leapfrog the Revs into second place in the Eastern Conference with one game remaining in the MLS regular season.
"It makes me very happy for the players and for the club, we are on the side of contributing things," Miami manager Cristian González said after the game. "We are at a club that is in continuous growth, I have players committed to us. We needed to win and we challenged ourselves on what kind of team we wanted to be."
The Revolution edged out Inter Miami in the first half, registering six total shots, five corner kicks and generating an expected goals of .75, but the match went to the break tied 0-0.
Dániel Gazdag then opened up the scoring in the initial minutes of the second half, connecting with Ilay Feingold inside the box before finding the back of the net.
Miami found a way to respond to Gazdag's strike with a goal from Germán Berterame -- set up by a deft backward header from Messi -- in the 69th minute. González then bolstered Inter Miami's attack after drawing level, substituting in Luis Suárez, who had started Miami's last 25 games.
"We knew we were going up against a rival that tries to seek out duels where they defend high, so the possibility of changes was to have depth, look for the spaces, and the one-on-one matchups. We struggled with ball possession, which at times was very passive," said González. "My message to the players is I need everyone. In this case, we believed we needed to make some changes.
"This doesn't mean this is the team that's going to start the playoffs. Everyone shows me they're eager to want to play."
Messi doubled the score for Inter Miami, dribbling past defenders outside the box and smashing a trademark low, left-footed shot past Revs keeper Matt Turner.
The Revolution almost found their way back for a draw, but Ian Fray's own goal was quickly ruled offside to let Miami off the hook after it looked like Messi's heroics had been undone.
Ultimately, it was Messi's goal that clinched Inter Miami a spot in the 2027 Champions Cup. Had Miami lost or tied the game against the Revs they would have had work left to do on Decision Day on Nov. 7 to get into North America's top club competition.
"I have no doubt that he's the best of all," González said of Messi. None of them can compare to him when it comes to respect for his colleagues. Leo at his age and what he does, from my point of view, deserves the MVP and also the Ballon d'Or. I hope he can achieve it."
Inter Miami now joins Nashville SC, the Revs and the Vancouver Whitecaps in the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup. The winner of the 2026 MLS Cup will also have a place in the Champions Cup.
The Herons now have 59 points from 33 games, and will finish the regular season with a home game against Charlotte FC that will have seeding implications ahead of the MLS playoffs.
