Lionel Messi scores twice in return to Inter Miami & El Tráfico | SOTU

You know who's also good at finding the back of the net? Who's that? Lionel Messi. As we transition to Major League Soccer, this past weekend Messi made his long-awaited return as Inter-Miami host of Philadelphia. It was Messi's first match since the Copa America final when he picked up that ankle injury. Inter-Miami conceded in the first couple of minutes, but then came storming back. Messi scored twice in quick succession, and then he assisted Luis Suarez later on. So two goals and one assist, Inter-Miami take it 3-1. So first off, whether you're a Messi fan or whether you're an Inter-Miami fan, or an MLS for that matter, I think you have to be happy, given his injury, that he is back on the field and doing what he has done for so many years. The other part is, we are well into the Messi era when it comes to Major League Soccer. And so, whether it's, in this case, a Jim Curtin with Philadelphia or anybody else, they have seen how Messi plays and how Inter-Miami plays with Messi. And so, the book is out in terms of what you can do and what you can't do. And we have seen different ways of going about it. We've seen people that have just said, you know, I'm just going to follow this guy everywhere he goes. That doesn't matter. And they say, alright, well we're not going to do that and we're going to do it by committee. That doesn't work. And you look at the goals that he scored, and when you're watching it, it seems simple. Now, some of Messi's goals don't seem simple and you're just oohing and aahing. But when you're watching him score, you know, this past weekend, it's just simple. And it's a fait accompli oftentimes. And yes, he's got a guy like Luis Suarez that understands him and other players that are making him look good. But I think, and we've heard coaches in MLS say this now, is that you can't stop him. Alright? You can try to slow him down, and at best, that is what you are going to do. And yet, I'm sure that there are plenty of coaches, whether they're head coaches or stavs out there, that are huddled around this screen and saying, yeah, we got the answer. We have the antidote. And then they come to the realization very, very quickly when that game starts that it doesn't matter what information you give. It doesn't matter whether you have one player on or two players on him or you pull back or you let them have the ball or you high-press him or anything like that. He will find his moments and he will make you pay. And so I'm excited to see that he's healthy again, which is good, and knock on wood, because no matter what, he is good for the game when he is on the field. And the rich get richer when it comes to inter-Miami. But playoffs are coming, my friend. There was a neat moment after. Did you see Messi take a picture with 14-year-old Kavin Sullivan? That's right. Yes. I mean, well, if anybody knows about being kind of a Wunderkid and, you know, the possibilities, let's hope that Mr. Sullivan ends up being half the player that Messi is, or a quarter of the player that Messi is. As we discussed, he's well on his way to supplanting Sean Sullivan as the most famous Sullivan in the world. Incidentally, the teams that are second and third in the East, Cincinnati and Columbus played to a scoreless draw in the Hell Is Real Derby. The top two teams in the West squared off in Carson in another edition of El Trafico. It was a tale of two halves. LAFC got off to a great start, jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first 15 minutes, goals by Bogus and Buanga. Could have been up more. Drew hit the post, but they looked to be in good shape at the half. And then the Galaxy came storming back in the second half. Jovalic 2-1, Cerillo 2-2, Jovalic again 3-2, and Ricky Puj 4-2. What a comeback win for the Galaxy. All right, don't let anybody tell you that El Trafico isn't the greatest rivalry in Major League Soccer. And yes, you know, sometimes rivalries don't live up to billing. This one did and more. And certainly if you look at, you know, the Hell Is Real, I mean, hell is really boring ultimately with that. But this was anything but when it comes to what happened in Los Angeles. You know, when you when you look at LAFC and you look at the way that they play, I mean, they will make you pay. They don't necessarily want the ball, but they will make you pay. And when they are in that transition and they have that type of space, which is ultimately how they went ahead. But credit to Greg Vanney and this this crew that came back with four unanswered. And they do they play in a very different way. And Ricky Puj love watching Ricky Puj and what he what he has done over the last couple of years. But now he has players to players to work with. And so this was, as we said, this was an electric El Trafico. And everything that was billed to be on the field and lots of goals and lots of back and forth and lots of excitement, ultimately the home team won. But it was it was not looking good for the L.A. the L.A. Galaxy. And I do think that in the compare and contrast between these two teams, the L.A. Galaxy, at least in twenty twenty four, I'm sorry, the L.A.FC in twenty twenty four is turning out to be kind of one dimensional. Now that one dimensional that one dimension can get them plenty of wins and can scare the bejesus out of other teams. And the Galaxy, on the other hand, is kind of multifaceted in what they in what they can do. And again, when those two meet, as they did today, ultimately it was like the tortoise and the hare type of situation. And that's not always the case. But congratulations to the the L.A. Galaxy. Don't don't worry. LFC is going to be is going to be just fine. And as a matter of fact, I think we got some LFC news. Well, but first off, I just want to note the Galaxy are now above the games in hand margin. LFC have played two fewer games than them. So until recently, I was reluctant to tout the fact that the Galaxy were in first place in the West, because if LFC had won their games in hand, they would have overtaken them. But that's no longer the case. The seven point gap, even if LFC win their two games in hand, they would still be behind them. But yeah, LFC making some interesting off field news. They have signed Carlos Vela as a free agent. He is back. Remember, out of contract at the end of last season, did not resign. He was a free agent all these months. Nobody picked him up. And here he is. He's back. Obviously, the transfer window is already closed, but because he's a free agent, they were able to pick him up on the very last day. September 13th was the roster freeze day. They were able to sign him. If he's half as good as he was before, you add him to belong in Jeru, all of a sudden that could be a scary attack. But who knows what kind of shape Carlos Vela is in? Yeah, I mean, the curious case of Carlos Vela and relative to the story that you're telling right now and this this signing. But also, I mean, he has always been kind of unique and very eccentric in the decisions that he has made. What is beyond debate, though, is his ability. Now, the reason why they were able to sign him is because he hasn't been playing soccer. All right. Since since last year, he's basically from a contractual standpoint, taken the year off. I I hope that he that he can still play. It's going to be interesting to see him be integrated into this team. And while I just was talking about LFC being kind of one dimensional right now, this does bring something different into the LFC. And for Steve Tarandolo, it's a nice little thing to have that it took this long. I mean, sure, there's a fascinating story behind the scenes as to what was what was going on. And part of it, I'm sure, is Carlos Vela is just kind of Carlos Vela going to Carlos Vela. That's what that's what he does. But ultimately, I'm excited to see what LFC looks like with a twenty twenty four version after basically taking a year off in, you know, in the in their midst. So and he's a he's a legend. He basically established this team that came out of the chute and was so good. And to your point, if he is able to tap into some of that magic, that's a nice little player to have, I guess, coming off the bench, certainly to begin with. But who knows? Maybe he works his way in and he provides them that different dimension going forward at the most important time as they get ready for the playoffs. You like that clip? Well, my State of the Union podcast drops twice a week right here on my very own YouTube page. The only way to stay up to date is to hit that subscribe button down below. Size the day and see you soon.