Inter Miami, with half an hour of Messi, tied in a chaotic match against Atlanta United and remains at the top of the MLS

Inter Miami added a point that is worth it. The comfortable leader of the Eastern Conference of the MLSalready classified for the playoffstied 2-2 on their visit to Atlanta United and reached their sixth game without losing in the American league. He has nine wins in his last 11 PJs and is on track to win the Supporters Shield, trophy that rewards the best team in the regular phase and that, perhaps, is the ticket to the 2025 Club World Cup.

What is most striking is that this streak, which allows him to distance himself from his pursuers, occurred with little or no Lionel Messi on court. The Argentine star was inactive for two months due to the injury he suffered in the Copa América final and reappeared last Sunday with a double for the 3-1 victory against Philadelphia Union. This Wednesday, meanwhile, Leo and also Luis Suarez They were substitutes and entered the complement.

It is clear that Messi and Suárez, both 37 years old, are the most fearsome offensive duo in the MLS. However, time passes for everyone and that is why Tata Martino manages the wear and tear of his stars, whom he will need to have ready when the championship enters the final zone. The move worked out well for him. Messi added minutes again, the team he rescued a tie from a match that could have gone to either of the two and Inter Miami looks down on everyone.

The possession was divided at the beginning of the meeting. They were fighting for the ball in the middle of the field and there was no clear dominator. The pink team had the clearest chance with a powerful right hand from Julian Gressel, while the local team approached through the Georgian Saba Lobzhanidze, unbalancing on the left.

Still, zero remained, and as the minutes passed, Atlanta United He abandoned his initial position and took refuge in his own field. He began to slow down the pace of the game until, in an isolated play, Franco Negri He decided to drive past the central circle and left hand in hand with David Ruiz the author of the 1-0. Messi and Suárez smiled in the stands; Martino, suspended, clenched his fist in one of the boxes.

In addition, the premises improved. Of course, he was bound by the result. For its part, the visiting team, fragile defensively, once again showed that weakness and suffered Lobzhanidze’s equalizer in the 11th minute. But quickly, two minutes later, Leonardo Campana He scored 2-1 from a free kick and became the franchise’s all-time top scorer with 30 goals, leaving behind the 29 of the Hangnail Higuaín -Messi is 27-.

Then Messi came in, too. Federico Redondo and later Suárez did it. Martino’s changes seemed to help him control the game. But in the final stretch, perhaps due to physical exhaustion, the match broke down and chaos reigned. There was no longer any play in the midfield. He could have finished it off with a very clear chance for Suárez, but Gunslinger He failed and in the counterattack the Russian billed Alexey Miranchuk with a mid-range bomb. It was 2-2 and that’s how the game ended.

While looking for the best Messi, Inter Miami remains a leader in a season in which it has a single objective: to be champion and reach the Club World Cup.