Inter Miami vs. St. Louis City SC highlights: Messi scores again in draw

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Lionel Messi is healthy and fit, and ready to captain Argentina again this summer. More importantly, Inter Miami’s mission to bring Messi back to Argentina healthy for the Copa América has been completed.

Messi and Luis Suárez scored off assists from Jordi Alba, with Alba netting the equalizer in the 85th minute as Inter Miami survived a thrilling 3-3 draw against St. Louis City SC at Chase Stadium on Saturday evening.

Now Messi can shift his focus to returning to Argentina and starring in the Copa América, which starts later this month.

Messi, who turns 37 on June 24, is in the twilight of his storied career and will once again captain Argentina – the reigning 2021 Copa América and 2022 World Cup champions.

Messi’s 2022 World Cup victory in Qatar cemented his place as one of, if not, the best the best – in the history of the sport. He also said it would be his last World Cup.

This month’s Copa América, which starts on June 20 when Argentina plays Canada in Atlanta, could be his last major tournament for his home country.

He will continue to help Argentina qualify for the next World Cup later this year, just as he did at the end of last year. On the other hand, the 2026 World Cup is relatively around the corner.

Messi will be 39 after it starts. If he really wanted to play, there would be virtually no objections from Argentina.

But let’s stay in the moment.

Messi scored in the 25th minute and repeatedly tried to force the issue offensively against St. Louis, with Inter Miami trailing 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 in the match.

Inter Miami stared at the unique thought of two consecutive defeats in which Messi scored a goal.

Fortunately, Messi’s good friends from Barcelona helped their new club avoid defeat.

Suarez scored just before half-time and missed a header before the final whistle.

And Alba, who missed a shot on target earlier in the match, scored his first goal of the season in the 85th minute to secure the draw.

Messi and Suarez have each scored 12 goals this MLS season, leaving the league lead behind Real Salt Lake’s Cristian Arango and DC United’s Christian Benteke, both tied at 13.

Inter Miami earns one point from the draw and remains in first place in the MLS Eastern Conference with 35 points – two points ahead of second-place Cincinnati.

Goal Jordi Alba: Inter Miami 3, St. Louis 3

Jordi Alba missed his chance earlier in the match, but he did not miss this one.

Alba leaked behind the St. Louis defense and scored in the 85^e minute to tie the match at 3.

Alba’s score was allowed after the officials determined he was onside.

Messi misses two shots in 83^rd minute: St. Louis 3, Inter Miami 2

Messi fell to the ground, preventing his two shots towards the net from connecting.

Messi’s kick was deflected back to him, and his second sailed just over the net.

Messi misses right attack: St. Louis 3, Inter Miami 2

Messi took a swipe with his right boot, but missed in the 74^e minute, as Inter Miami continues to battle in this match after falling behind again.

Benjamin Cremaschi misses target: St. Louis 3, Inter Miami 2

Messi played the point and found Benjamin Cremaschi, who forced the issue with a shot towards the net that flew into the stands.

Goal Chris Durkin: St. Louis 3, Inter Miami 2

Chris Durkin has struck again, scoring his second goal of the match to give St. Louis a 3-1 lead in the 68^e minute.

Durkin’s brace followed a corner kick and some poor defending from Inter Miami during the series.

Messi can’t break away: Inter Miami 2, St. Louis 2

Messi headed onto the pitch with great force, but he might have held on to the ball longer than he should have. Messi allowed Suárez to shoot down his right, but he tired to dribble further before finally being stopped.

Goal Luis Suárez: Inter Miami 2, St. Louis 2

We have another draw and it’s Inter Miami’s star power coming through again.

Luis Suárez scored on a pass from Alba during extra time in the first half, bringing the match to 2 just before half-time.

Goal Indiana Vassilev: St. Louis 2, Inter Miami 1

Inter Miami is down again in the first half and it is a former player who knows how to find the back of the net.

Indiana Vassilev, who played for Inter Miami in 2021-2022, scored in the 41st minute to give St. Louis a 2-1 lead.

Messi misses chance for brace in first half: Inter Miami 1, St. Louis 1

Messi almost got a brace ten minutes after his first goal. He received another pass from Jordi Alba and aimed for the bottom corner of the net.

But the shot was saved by St. Louis goalkeeper Roman Bürki in the 35th minute.

Messi scores goal: Inter Miami 1, St. Louis 1

It didn’t take long for Messi to equalize the score. He did it 10 minutes after St. Louis took the lead.

Messi scores in the 25th minute and this match is tied: he tried to turn to the right, but made a U-turn. He found Jordi Alba on the outside, and his former Barcelona teammate found him after making a cut towards the net.

This is the highlight:

Goal Chris Durkin: St. Louis 1, Inter Miami 0

What a strike. St. Louis standout Chris Durkin unleashed a right-handed shot into the net in the 15th minute to help his side take a 1-0 lead over Inter Miami.

Inter Miami has allowed the opponent to open the score twelve times in eighteen matches this season. So this is not new for Messi’s side.

Trevor Lawrence attends Messi, Inter Miami match

Jacksonville Jaguars star quarterback Trevor Lawrence will be on hand tonight to watch Messi and Inter Miami.

Messi has two nutmegs in the opening minutes: Inter Miami 0, St. Louis 0

Messi, the best in the game with his ball handling, has already had two occasions when he nutmegged St. Louis defenders in the opening minutes.

The beautiful dribbling did not lead to a scoring opportunity, but it did cause cheering from the fans present.

Messi arrives tonight for the match against Inter Miami

Messi arrived at the Chase Stadium for tonight’s match with a smile and next to good friend Luis Suárez.

Does Messi play?

Messi is healthy and fit and will play against St. Louis City. He is in the starting line-up, announced an hour before kick-off.

How to watch Inter Miami vs. St. Louis live stream

Inter Miami’s match against St. Louis City is available via MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.

WATCH: Messi and Inter Miami present St. Louis City SC on Apple TV

CARDS: Experience Messi and Inter Miami in person at home against St. Louis City SC

STORE: Shop the latest Messi and Inter Miami team gear at the MLS Store

Bets Inter Miami vs. St. Louis City

Inter Miami is a -185 favorite at home, with odds of +333 to draw, while St. Louis City is a +400 underdog. According to BETMGM, the over/under is set at 3.5 goals.

Messi has odds of -160 as a goalscorer, while Luis Suárez is at -105. Messi is +310 to score two or more goals, while Suárez is +525 to score two or more goals.

What’s at stake today for Messi versus St. Louis?

Ensuring Messi is healthy for the Copa América is of utmost importance for Inter Miami, who sit first in the MLS Eastern Conference with 34 points. Another win and three points against St. Louis will soften the blow Inter Miami will have to endure without Messi as the MLS season continues through the summer international period.

Messi, the 2021 Copa América and 2022 World Cup champion, scored a goal in Inter Miami’s 3-1 defeat to Atlanta United last Wednesday. It was his first game in 10 days after being allowed to stay home and not travel to play in Vancouver on May 25.

Uniquely, it was also the first match in which Messi scored a goal and lost the match since Argentina’s 2-1 defeat to Saudi Arabia at the start of the World Cup in Qatar on November 22, 2022.

Still, the goal was a positive sign for Messi, who was held scoreless and without an assist in games against Montreal on May 11, where he suffered a blow to his legendary left leg, and at home against DC United on May 18.

Messi will go to Argentina for Copa América training next week

Messi won’t have to travel far to rejoin his Argentine teammates as they reportedly train at Inter Miami’s facilities for the Copa América from next week.

Messi is expected to play in two friendly matches that will serve as warm-ups for Argentina’s Copa América: against Ecuador at Soldier Field in Chicago on June 9 at 5:30 PM ET; and against Guatemala near Washington DC at Commanders Field in Landover, Maryland on June 14 at 7:30 PM ET.

Messi and Argentina take center stage in the Copa América opener

Messi and Argentina kick off the Copa América in the tournament opener against Canada at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on June 20.

Argentina, in Group A, will also face Chile on June 25 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and Peru on June 29 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida in Copa América group play.

Where will Messi, Argentina play as they progress through the Copa America group stages?

If Argentina advances from the group stage, it will play a quarterfinal on July 4 in Houston or July 5 in Arlington, Texas.

If Argentina advances to the semi-finals of the Copa America, they will play again at the MetLife Stadium on July 9.

The Copa América third place match will be held at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte on July 13, and the Copa América final will be held at Hard Rock Stadium on July 14.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Messi highlights tonight: Inter Miami vs St. Louis City ends in draw