Lionel Messi had a grand return from injury at the Union’s expense as Inter Miami remain MLS’ best

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The Union gave Major League Soccer’s best team an impressive fight on Saturday, but the league’s best player ultimately decided the game.

After Mikael Uhre’s surprising opener in just the second minute, Lionel Messi struck in the 26th and 30th, then assisted Luis Suárez in the 97th to seal a 3-1 defeat of the Union at Chase Stadium.

Given the score, the Union outshot Miami 21-9, including 8-3 in shots on target. However, the Union (7-12-9, 30 points) fell to 11th place in the Eastern Conference with six games to go in the season.

Miami, meanwhile, continued building on its MLS-best record (19-4-5, 62 points). The Herons have a clear lead in the Supporters’ Shield race, and with Messi back, they remain the favorites to win it.

It was already known that goalkeeper Andre Blake would miss the game, and it wasn’t surprising that Andrew Rick stood in for him. The last time Blake was out for a while, Union manager Jim Curtin made it clear that Rick would be the No. 2 netminder for the rest of the year, and Curtin kept his word.

Defensive midfielder Danley Jean Jacques was healthy enough to make the bench but not to start — and the moves Curtin made to compensate for that were a big deal too. Leon Flach started at Jean Jacques’ spot, and Jack McGlynn and Quinn Sullivan were the starting central midfielders behind Dániel Gazdag.

That left the midfield without much defensive bite, especially when you consider Jesús Bueno could have started over McGlynn or Sullivan in that role instead.

It was hard not to think about that when Miami announced that Messi would start in his first game back after two months out injured, on a front line with fellow superstar Luis Suárez and big-time young playmaker Diego Gómez.

If you don’t know much about Gómez yet, you will soon. The 21-year-old Paraguayan scored a game-winner against Brazil in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying match on Tuesday and will join the English Premier League side Brighton in January for nearly $18 million.

» READ MORE: Andre Blake, Tai Baribo, and Danley Jean Jacques land on the Union’s injury list

The game got off to a wild start. Just 51 seconds had elapsed on the clock when Uhre pounced on a loose header by Miami’s Tomás Avíles. Uhre then settled the ball, cut back beautifully on Héctor Martínez, and ripped a 21-yard blast low past Drake Callender for his 11th goal of the year.

Barely a breath after play resumed, the Union charged down the field again, unfurling a beautiful 13-pass sequence that sadly resulted in Sullivan shooting wide left.

Then, in the fifth, Suárez drew a relatively light foul from Jack Elliott just outside the Union’s 18-yard box. The crowd rose in anticipation as Messi put Rick in his sights — and plenty must have been in Rick’s mind, too. Fortunately for the Union, Messi shot his free kick into the visitors’ defensive wall, and the play ultimately came to nothing.

Chances kept coming for the Union. In the 18th, Uhre took the ball off Avíles with shocking ease, but Callender came off his line to cut Uhre off, then blocked Gazdag’s follow-up attempt with his chest from just outside the 18-yard box. Tai Baribo had a half-chance with the ensuing rebound but had a defender in his face before he could control the ball.

» READ MORE: Mikael Uhre hits a scoring milestone for the Union, and maybe this time his critics will notice

It’s easy, and not wrong, to say all those misses bit the Union. From here, that Sullivan shot wide right after the goal was arguably the worst of them.

But Messi’s first goal was a terrific bit of skill, a crossover on Kai Wagner after a buildup from Jordi Alba and Suárez. You couldn’t have drawn it up much better for the highlight-makers on social media.

Miami took things over from there, and Messi’s second came quickly. The Herons were patient and precise in possession, and once they had Flach running around trying to put the fire out himself, the midfield opened up easily to move the ball to Alba on the left side. McGlynn was well behind Messi as the Argentine ran forward, received Alba’s pass, and shot past Rick.

» READ MORE: A potential meeting of Cavan Sullivan and Lionel Messi was too tempting to ignore

This was the third straight game that Union centerback Jack Elliott entered a yellow card away from a one-game suspension for card accumulation. Though there comes a point when you get credit for good behavior, Elliott wasn’t near it yet, so the sense was he’d get the booking sooner or later.

It happened in the 56th minute on Saturday, and if it was going to happen, it might as well have gone how it did: a robust takedown of Messi from behind.

Elliott will miss Wednesday’s game at New York City FC (7:30 p.m., Apple TV). Nathan Harriel will most likely start in his place since prospect Olwethu Makhanya is the only other true centerback on the Union’s roster right now and isn’t quite ready for the big stage yet.

Curtin made his first substitutions in the 63rd minute, sending in forward Sam Adeniran for Uhre and stalwart midfielder Alejandro Bedoya for McGlynn, which shifted Sullivan to the left side of midfield. Soon after that, Sullivan uncorked a neat feint and cross toward Adeniran, who headed over the crossbar as he flew into the net.

Adeniran had another big chance in the 85th after Gazdag stole the ball from Sergio Busquets near the end line. But the open striker couldn’t get the ball past Callender from close range.

Olivier Mbaizo replaced Harriel, and Jeremy Rafanello replaced Sullivan in the 88th as the Union’s final substitutions. That meant wunderkind Cavan Sullivan did not play, though he got to have a photo taken with Messi after the game.