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MIAMI: Lionel Messi set up a goal for Rodrigo De Paul as Inter Miami defeated New York City FC 2-0 on Wednesday to secure a place in the MLS playoffs.
German Berterame also ended his scoring drought, finding the net for the first time since May as Miami strengthened its hold on second place in the Eastern Conference.
The victory gave head coach Cristian “Kily” Gonzalez back-to-back wins for the first time since taking charge last month. With five games remaining, Miami secured at least a place in the wild-card round.
“I’m leaving happy. Obviously, there’s a lot to improve, but we’re making progress little by little,” Gonzalez said.
Messi remained a key attacking threat after scoring twice on Saturday following his return from an emotional Argentina send-off the previous week.
The Argentine star helped create both of Miami’s first-half goals.
In the 20th minute, Messi controlled the ball just outside the penalty area before passing to De Paul. The midfielder then sent a looping diagonal ball toward Luis Suarez near the byline.
Suarez delivered a low pass across the goalmouth, allowing Berterame to tap home from close range. The goal ended the forward’s wait for a score since May.
Miami doubled its lead with the final kick of the first half through De Paul.
Berterame carried the ball across the halfway line during a quick counterattack. His pass toward Messi took an unexpected direction, but the Argentine forward recovered possession and advanced toward the penalty area.
Messi drew three defenders before laying the ball off with the outside of his left foot. De Paul then struck a powerful shot high to the goalkeeper’s right to make it 2-0.
Neither side scored after the break, although Miami created further chances.
Messi sent a curling effort from just outside the penalty area over the crossbar. Then, in the 90th minute, he played a short corner to De Paul.
The midfielder fired toward the far top corner, but United States international goalkeeper Matt Freese produced an excellent diving save. He tipped the ball onto the post to keep the score unchanged.
New York City FC earned a late chance to reduce the deficit when substitute Talles Magno won a penalty in stoppage time.
Defender Ian Fray brought Magno down after the forward turned sharply away from goal and ran into his trailing leg.
However, Miami goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair denied the penalty with a low save to his right, pushing the ball around the bar.
The result marked Miami’s second consecutive clean sheet after the team had gone 10 games without one.
Gonzalez praised his players for their defensive discipline and their ability to stop New York City’s counterattacks.
“I really liked how we handled dropping back into defensive shape. We didn’t get caught out on the counter and were very aggressive, breaking up plays whenever a sudden transition from them looked likely,” he said.
“Perhaps our ball circulation was a bit too slow at times, but that’s just how the game played out.”
New York City FC, meanwhile, continued a difficult run of form. The club had managed just one win in its previous 11 MLS games.
The victory strengthened Miami’s position in second place in the Eastern Conference and boosted its prospects of securing home-field advantage during the playoffs. Conference leaders Nashville remained out of reach, but Miami continued to build momentum with the postseason approaching.
