On Sunday, September 23rd, 2023, Inter Miami beat 2022 league champions LAFC by a score of 3-1 at BMO Stadium in downtown Los Angeles, California. Inter Miami was ahead 3-0 at 84 minutes of play with goals from Facundo Farias, Jordi Alba, and Leonardo Campana. The Argentine superstar Lionel Messi assisted his Inter Miami teammates for their latter two goals. His team might have been up another goal had LAFC keeper John McCarthy not made an impressive block on his shot at the 38th minute of play. LAFC made the game a little more interesting with a header goal by Ryan Hollingshead during the concluding minutes of play. That goal was assisted by the Mexican LAFC captain Carlos Vela. Inter Miami ultimately played better by capitalizing on their scoring opportunities.

Lionel Messi’s positive impact for Inter Miami and Major League Soccer were visible in Los Angeles on and off the field. On the field his two assists, precise passes, and leadership were impressive. He displayed leadership through the generosity that he exercised involving his teammates with well-placed passes at times he could have taken shots on goal. Inter Miami has not been defeated since his arrival. Off the field, his fans filled about 1/3 of BMO Stadium with pink Inter Miami colors and jerseys. His economic impact could partly be measured by the price of the cheapest ticket available on Ticketmaster’s website the day of the game; it was priced $657. His presence energized the Los Angeles crowd and gave the evening’s game a playoff-like atmosphere. That crowd included a long list of celebrities: Prince Harry, Selena Gomez, Leonardo DiCaprio, Mario Lopez, Jason Sudeikis, Owen Wilson, Will Ferrel, David Beckham, and Dwayne Wade.

We conclude by highlighting the appearance of Mexican-American Victor Ulloa of Inter Miami who replaced Diego Gomez following Gomez’s yellow card penalty in the 86th minute. Victor Ulloa has scored 3 goals in 13 games for Inter Miami in 2023. He won the 2016 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in 2016 with FC Dallas and will have an opportunity to win that title again when his team plays against the Houston Dynamo on September 27th, 2023 for this year’s final.

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