FORT LAUDERDALE — Lionel Messi scored four goals as Inter Miami demolished CF Montréal by a club-record 7-1 scoreline during Matchday 23, becoming the fastest player in MLS history to notch 20 multi-goal games in just 72 appearances.
The four-goal outing means Messi has recorded at least a brace more than once every four games across his MLS career. Inter Miami leads MLS in goals and expected goals, according to American Soccer Analysis, and with defensive reinforcements added this summer — including Casemiro — the club appears to be rounding into form as fall approaches. New manager Cristian “Kily” González has yet to arrive to put his stamp on the squad.
The dominant performance underscored the gap between Inter Miami’s talent ceiling and much of the league. Last season, Miami played what was widely regarded as some of the most impressive soccer in MLS history on their way to claiming MLS Cup.
Elsewhere around the league, Charlotte FC continued their surge with a 2-0 victory over Atlanta United, extending their post-FIFA World Cup break record to 4W-1L-2D. New Designated Player Allan Saint-Maximin recorded his first MLS goal contributions with a secondary assist on the opener and a primary assist on the second goal. According to FotMob, Saint-Maximin sits in the 100th percentile among his positional peers in successful dribbles per 90 minutes at 4.78, dwarfing predecessor Wilfried Zaha’s 1.70 per 90 before his May exit.
Seattle also made noise after acquiring Serbian striker Dejan Joveljić from Sporting Kansas City in a $6 million cash-for-player deal. Joveljić scored both goals for the Sounders in a 2-2 draw with the Chicago Fire, finding the net in the 12th and 48th minutes. The striker tallied 15 goals in 2024 prior to the MLS Cup Playoffs, added 6 more in the postseason — including the game-winning goal in the final for the LA Galaxy — then scored 18 goals last year for Sporting Kansas City and 8 more this season before the trade.
In New England, the Revolution beat the Columbus Crew 3-1 and have lost just two games since the World Cup break. Goalkeeper Matt Turner, secured on loan through the end of next year with a purchase option, leads all MLS goalkeepers this season in goals prevented with 8.2, according to FotMob. New Designated Player Jack Harrison, signed from Leeds United, has contributed six assists in five matches.
Inter Miami’s next test will come as González prepares to take the reins, with the club sitting atop MLS’s goal-scoring charts and eyeing a repeat championship run through the fall stretch.