"The record is secondary, but the main goal has been achieved. Now we focus on what's next. We have a big advantage of playing all the matches (MLS Cup playoffs) at home, where we are very strong, and we have to prove that," Messi affirmed after scoring a brace to help Inter Miami beat Columbus Crew 3-2 to win the Supporters' Shield early on October 3.
Messi celebrates winning the Supporters' Shield with billionaire Jorge Mas, co-owner of Inter Miami
In the remaining two matches, if Inter Miami wins both Toronto FC (October 6) and New England Revolution (October 20), they will set a new record in MLS as the team that finishes the round with the highest number of points: 74 points, surpassing the old record of 73 points set by New England Revolution in 2021. Inter Miami currently has 68 points after 32 matches. With their current impressive form, they can absolutely do that.
However, for Messi, he wants his teammates to focus on the bigger goal of winning the MLS Cup, rather than setting records because it is only secondary.
"As we said at the beginning of the season. We knew we had a team capable of competing. We took responsibility from the start, because we had players capable of doing so. We are happy that the team has achieved the first objective.
"From now on we need to think about what's next. Today we faced a strong opponent, a former champion, a great team and a well-trained team (Columbus Crew). Even if they had a player sent off, we suffered, but we held on until the end, and that shows the strength of our team," Messi said.
After winning the Supporters' Shield, Messi and his teammates will be mentally comfortable playing the remaining two matches, while also preparing for the most crucial battles in the MLS Cup playoffs from the end of October. Inter Miami has already won the playoff spot a few rounds ago and is the first team in MLS to win the spot.
Messi has now scored 17 goals and provided 12 assists in 19 appearances for Inter Miami in 2024. He has also increased his career goalscoring tally to 843.
Thanks to leading the Eastern Conference and the entire MLS (29 clubs in total), Inter Miami officially entered the first round and played all the playoff matches at home. This is a huge advantage for the team of Mr. David Beckham as president and co-owner, aiming to win the championship as expected since the club was founded.
More remarkably, the change in Inter Miami's fortunes has only happened within 1 year since Messi arrived in July 2023. This famous player helped the team win its first championship trophy in history, the Leagues Cup. But in the MLS, they have risen from last place last year to the highest peak, the Supporters' Shield championship, the club's second championship title.
Messi conquered American audiences with his outstanding talent. In the photo is a young fan who asked for time off from school to go see Messi.
In the near future, if he wins the MLS Cup, Messi will turn Inter Miami from a team in crisis and lost in the previous 2 seasons, into the most powerful club in the US within just 1 year of his arrival.
However, Messi modestly said: "It's not just me. I think the appearance of some important players has contributed greatly to the change of the team." The players that Messi mentioned include Suarez, Diego Gomez, David Ruiz or Busquets, Jordi Alba and new factors such as Campana, Federico Redondo, Marcelo Weigandt...
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/messi-noi-gi-sau-khi-doat-chiec-cup-vo-dich-lich-su-cho-inter-miami-185241003110928371.htm
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