Lionel Messi breaks MLS record in front of historic crowd in New England | Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi wowed a record crowd at the New England Revolution with two goals Saturday night, leading Inter Miami CF to a 4-1 victory.
Messi did not disappoint the crowd of 65,612 who filled Gillette Stadium, scoring his ninth goal of the season with his left foot from deep in the box in the 68th minute, breaking a one-goal tie.
In fact, he also made a little history. Miami posted on X that he is the first player in MLS history to contribute 16 goals in the first seven games of a season.
“Obviously, he's been doing that all his life. We expect that from him,” said teammate Benjamin Kremaski, who stopped Messi's shot and scored the third goal. “He makes it look so easy. We're just happy to have him on our side. If he gets a chance, he grabs it.”
The attendance exceeded the previous record of 61,316, set in 2002 when the Revolution lost to the LA Galaxy. MLS Last.
In the first half, he tied the score at 1-1 in the 32nd minute with a left-footed kick from a few feet inside the box.
“I thought we contained them pretty well in the first half after (our) goal,” New England coach Caleb Porter said. “They didn't get a lot of chances, they didn't get a lot of time and space to operate. So Messi did what he had to do and found the cracks.”
When the 36-year-old 2022 World Cup winner scored a goal in the match between Eastern Conference number one Miami and last place Revolution, the stands erupted in cheers.
Kremaski and Luis Suarez both scored late for Miami. Messi is credited with assisting Suarez's goal.
The Revolution made it 1-0 in the first minute when Thomas Chanqueray beat a defender and placed a shot over onrushing goalkeeper Drake Callender.
Much of the sports world this week centered around Messi's visit, even though the local winter pro teams, the Celtics and Bruins, are both in the playoffs.
About 90 minutes before the game, hundreds of fans, mostly children, entered the stadium wearing pink Miami Messi jerseys.
They could easily be seen mingling as the stadium filled up.
Scattered among them was Messi's No. 10 jersey and part of Argentina's white and blue striped jersey.
“I'm so excited,” said Stacey Mills, 31, a traveling nurse from East Tennessee. He was wearing a Messi Argentina jersey. “In fact, I've been following him ever since he was playing for Barcelona.”
Her friend and travel nurse Caliadia Jessup, 53, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, also proudly showed off her image of Argentina's Messi.
“When he played for his country in the World Cup, I followed him,” she said with a smile.
Summarize this content to 100 words Lionel Messi wowed a record crowd at the New England Revolution with two goals Saturday night, leading Inter Miami CF to a 4-1 victory.Messi did not disappoint the crowd of 65,612 who filled Gillette Stadium, scoring his ninth goal of the season with his left foot from deep in the box in the 68th minute, breaking a one-goal tie.In fact, he also made a little history. Miami posted on X that he is the first player in MLS history to contribute 16 goals in the first seven games of a season.”Obviously, he's been doing that all his life. We expect that from him,” said teammate Benjamin Kremaski, who stopped Messi's shot and scored the third goal. “He makes it look so easy. We're just happy to have him on our side. If he gets a chance, he grabs it.”The attendance exceeded the previous record of 61,316, set in 2002 when the Revolution lost to the LA Galaxy. MLS Last.In the first half, he tied the score at 1-1 in the 32nd minute with a left-footed kick from a few feet inside the box.”I thought we contained them pretty well in the first half after (our) goal,” New England coach Caleb Porter said. “They didn't get a lot of chances, they didn't get a lot of time and space to operate. So Messi did what he had to do and found the cracks.”When the 36-year-old 2022 World Cup winner scored a goal in the match between Eastern Conference number one Miami and last place Revolution, the stands erupted in cheers.Kremaski and Luis Suarez both scored late for Miami. Messi is credited with assisting Suarez's goal.The Revolution made it 1-0 in the first minute when Thomas Chanqueray beat a defender and placed a shot over onrushing goalkeeper Drake Callender.Much of the sports world this week centered around Messi's visit, even though the local winter pro teams, the Celtics and Bruins, are both in the playoffs.About 90 minutes before the game, hundreds of fans, mostly children, entered the stadium wearing pink Miami Messi jerseys.They could easily be seen mingling as the stadium filled up.Scattered among them was Messi's No. 10 jersey and part of Argentina's white and blue striped jersey.”I'm so excited,” said Stacey Mills, 31, a traveling nurse from East Tennessee. He was wearing a Messi Argentina jersey. “In fact, I've been following him ever since he was playing for Barcelona.”Her friend and travel nurse Caliadia Jessup, 53, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, also proudly showed off her image of Argentina's Messi.“When he played for his country in the World Cup, I followed him,” she said with a smile.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/apr/28/lionel-messi-mls-record-inter-miami-historic-crowd Lionel Messi breaks MLS record in front of historic crowd in New England | Lionel Messi
