Messi scores stunner to rescue Miami

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Sept 29 (AP): Lionel Messi moved Inter Miami another step closer to the No. 1 seed for the MLS Cup playoffs.

And the MLS single-season points record remains in the club's reach as well.

Messi scored in the 67th minute and Inter Miami pushed its unbeaten streak to eight straight Major League Soccer matches with a 1-1 tie against Charlotte FC on Saturday night. It was Messi's 15th goal in 16 league matches this season.

Messi became the sixth player in MLS history with at least 15 goals and 15 assists in a single season - and he's done that while missing 15 of Inter Miami's league contests.

The tie, combined with Columbus' 2-2 draw with D.C. United on Saturday, left Inter Miami eight points clear of the Crew for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. Inter Miami is also seven points up on the LA Galaxy for the No. 1 overall seed in the MLS playoffs.

Inter Miami plays at Columbus on Wednesday, and a win would wrap up the No. 1 overall seed - not just the East, but the Supporters Shield as the regular-season winners as well. Inter Miami (19-4-8) has 65 points with three matches left; Columbus (16-5-9) has 57 points with four matches remaining.

"We are playing a great team that is chasing us in the Supporters Shield," Inter Miami coach Gerardo "Tata" Martino said. "It is a very important game but so are the games against Toronto and New England. We will be ready for these remaining dates."

But first, the Columbus match looms and Inter Miami knows exactly what's at stake.

"It's very important," defender Jordi Alba said.

The Supporters Shield would give Inter Miami home-field edge throughout the playoffs, including for a potential MLS Cup final Dec. 7. And if Inter Miami wins out, it will finish with 74 points - one more than the MLS record of 73 set by New England in 2021.

D.C. United helped Inter Miami a bit on Saturday. Columbus led 2-1 late in the second half but surrendered the tying goal in the 81st minute; otherwise, the Crew could have been two points closer to Inter Miami in the standings and made Wednesday's match far more interesting.

Messi's goal was his typical brilliance. He took a pass near the top of the penalty box, dribbling once and threading his natural left-footed shot between four defenders and into the net to tie the match.

It came 10 minutes after Charlotte (11-11-9, 42 points, seventh in the East) struck first, with Karol Swiderski deflecting a shot into the net.

But Messi answered, and Inter Miami settled for its third consecutive draw. The team is 5-0-3 in its last eight league matches and 9-1-3 in MLS play since June 1.

"Obviously, we are frustrated with the three consecutive ties," Martino said. "But the story continues."

There were two great chances for Inter Miami in the final moments. Messi lobbied for a shot at the gamewinner in the 10th minute of stoppage time, after getting taken down near the top of the penalty area. No foul was called - one almost certainly would have led to a penalty shot opportunity - and about two minutes later, Luis Suarez somehow missed from point-blank range on the final play of the match.

The match was the next-to-last of the home regular season slate for Inter Miami. After the showdown at Columbus on Wednesday, the club goes to Toronto on Oct. 5 and then wraps up the 34-match schedule at home against New England on October 19.

Inter Miami will open the playoffs at home the following weekend.