Messi shines before the World Cup: 2 goals and 2 assists in the mega victory!

Messi shines before the World Cup: 2 goals and 2 assists in the mega victory!

Cincinnati, USA - Lionel Messi is in an impressive form, as his latest appearance in the Major League Soccer (MLS) shows. On June 1, 2025, he led Inter Miami to a convincing 5-1 win over Columbus Crew, scoring two goals and preparing two more. This total performance marks Messi's strong swing two weeks before the World Cup, where Inter Miami meets prominent opponents such as Palmeiras from Brazil, FC Porto from Portugal and Al Aly from Egypt. In the past eight days, Messi has achieved five goals and three templates in three MLS games, which underlines his outstanding skills and indicates his key role in the upcoming tournament.

Inter Miami has clearly positioned itself as one of the favorites for the upcoming club World Cup, which takes place in the USA from June 14 to July 13. It is particularly noteworthy that Los Angeles FC was the last participant for the tournament after winning 2-1 in an exciting game against Club América. Igor Jesus and Denis Bouanga provided the crucial goals in added time after Brian Rodriguez initially opened the game for Club América.

Club World Cup and field of participants

The field of participants for the club World Cup is now complete. Los Angeles FC will meet FC Chelsea from England, Flamengo from Brazil and Tunis from Tunisia in Group D. Another remarkable participant is CF Pachuca, who was able to secure his place in the tournament after Club León's exclusion. Pachuca will compete in Cincinnati against Red Bull Salzburg on June 18th.

Columbus crew and their successes

The Columbus Crew, which had a remarkable year in the MLS regardless of their recent defeat against Inter Miami, recently celebrated the win of the Leagues Cup. Cucho Hernandez, who scored two goals in the final encounter, is considered one of the most important players in the franchise. Under coach Wilfried Nancy, the crew won two titles in the 2023/24 season: the MLS Cup and the Leagues Cup.

The team has shown an impressive performance in the past two years, which makes it necessary to update their all-time best XI. Patrick Schulte is celebrated as a new goalkeeper, while Aidan Morris can take a place in this important team. The Best XI was selected by a group of local football experts who give different criteria for playing players, including the performance in different epochs.

With these successes and players who come to the fore, the Columbus Crew has established itself as a serious competitor in the league. Cucho Hernandez was appointed MVP of the MLS Cup and the League Cup and missed the title of the league MVPs only against Messi.

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