Inter Miami CF leaned on their trio of Barcelona legends to pick up a 3–1 win against the reigning MLS Cup champions LA Galaxy on Saturday night, as Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba and Luis Suárez led the way.

Messi returned from injury after missing the club’s last two matches, including last week’s regular-season 4–1 loss to Orlando City SC, and picked up a goal and assist after entering the game as a halftime substitute. 

While his influence pushed Miami to the win, they also got significant performances from Alba, Suárez and Busquets, setting the tone for their Leagues Cup quarterfinal clash against Liga MX’s Tigres UANL on Wednesday. 

With the win, Miami move to the top four in the Eastern Conference with 45 points in 24 games, while the Galaxy further solidified their place at the bottom of the Western Conference, only securing 16 points in their 26  games. 

Here are Sports Illustrated’s takeaways from the Herons’ 3–1 win over the Galaxy. 

Messi Returns with Flare

Lionel Messi might not have been favored to win the MLS MVP Award earlier in the season, but he is the surefire frontrunner after taking over the Golden Boot race in his return from injury against the Galaxy. 

While some players may need time to settle in after missing two weeks, Messi made the most of his 45 minutes after entering at halftime, scoring the winning goal with a deft long-strike on his left foot, and setting up Suárez with a flicked-on backheel assist. 

In addition to the two goal contributions, the 38-year-old created five chances, had five shots, and 26 touches, all among the most in the match despite playing just 45 minutes. 

With 10 games remaining in the season, Messi now leads the Golden Boot race with 19 goals and has 11 assists, while also only playing in 19 games, compared to others on the Golden Boot Top 5 who have played at least 21. 

It may not be a bright sign for Miami that they looked relatively toothless through the first half without Messi, but as long as he is healthy, he is the most influential player in the league and continues to prove it each time he is on the pitch. 

Suarez Has His Goalscoring Touch

Luis Suárez
Luis Suárez picked up his 10th goal in all competitions on Saturday. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Luis Suárez has been a conundrum in 2025, struggling to score with any consistency or at anywhere near the 20-goal clip he had in the 2024 MLS regular season. However, his recent play has suggested improvement in that category. 

His goal in the final moments of the match against the Galaxy brought him to six regular-season goals in 2025 and 10 goals in 36 games across all competitions, after recently scoring against Pumas in Leagues Cup play and against Palmeiras at the FIFA Club World Cup. 

It may not be at the same clip that he has scored at throughout his career, but he is scoring enough to justify his starting position, while also adjusting his tactical outlook to be more of an assisting focal point–– he’s up to 15 assists in all competitions. 

Additionally, Saturday also saw a beaming smile on his face, with neat flick-ons and more flamboyant touches in his play—a far cry from the frustration he has often shown throughout the season so far, whether with his teammates or his aging body.

Should Miami hope for a lengthy MLS Cup Playoff run or to further challenge for the top of the Eastern Conference, they will need Suárez to maintain his recent form, even though the Uruguayan has also shown he can make himself useful even without scoring. 

Ustari Struggles Again 

It was a big week in goalkeeping news for Inter Miami, selling one of their original roster players, Drake Callender, to Charlotte FC, therefore placing their complete faith in Oscar Ustari’s goalkeeping abilities. 

That decision has yet to pay off, though, and he offered further concern on Saturday. Despite making two saves in the win, it was the second straight match where Ustari failed to make a relatively straightforward save on his near-post, allowing Joseph Paintsil to find the back of the net in somewhat perplexing fashion. 

Paintsil’s sharp-angle strike came after Martín Ojeda scored a similarly sharp-angle goal for Orlando City SC in their win over the Herons last weekend, further showcasing Ustari’s positional struggles, even if he is among the league’s elite pure-shot stoppers. 

Yet, he’s the hope in net for Miami, and the decision head coach Javier Mascherano will have to go ahead with, given backup goalkeepers Rocco Rios Novo and William Yarbrough would be significant downgrades in high-pressure situations. 

However, with the Leagues Cup quarterfinals looming, Miami will get a good test of how Ustari can handle high-pressure knockout soccer in a tournament against teams closer to their level, unlike his success at the FIFA Club World Cup. 

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Inter Miami Takeaways vs. LA Galaxy: Messi Reinforces MVP Status in Critical Win.

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