Inter Miami CF won the 2024 Supporters’ Shield with a thrilling 3-2 victory over the Columbus Crew on the night of October 2nd (local time) in Ohio. The feat marks the team’s first Major League Soccer (MLS) trophy since joining the league as an expansion team in 2020.
Lionel Messi was the star of the match, scoring two goals and contributing to his team’s victory. Luis Suarez added another goal. The game ended in Miami’s favor when Rudy Camacho of the Columbus Crew was sent off in the 63rd minute.
Watch Messi celebrate his victory.
Goalkeeper Drake Callender played a key role in saving Cucho Hernandez’s penalty just before the final whistle, securing the three points for Miami.
“I’m happy. I’m glad we achieved it. We knew at the beginning of the year that this group had to fight for this. We took the initiative from the beginning and let the players do it. We’re happy to secure it.”The first We achieved the goal and we are thinking about the next goal,” Messi told Apple TV.
With this latest addition, Messi’s trophy cabinet continues to grow, taking his career total to 46 titles. His illustrious soccer career includes 10 La Liga titles, 4 Champions League titles, 2 Copa America titles, and the 2022 FIFA World Cup. This is Leo’s second title with an American club.
Inter Miami’s progress this season has been remarkable, largely due to the contributions of Messi and Suarez in their first full seasons with the team. Together, they scored 35 of the team’s 72 goals in 31 games. Messi leads the team in assists and overall goal contributions in just 16 appearances, despite missing several games due to injury and international duty.
Inter Miami’s rise to success
The Supporters’ Shield is one of the two main trophies in MLS and is awarded to the team with the best regular season performance. Winning this trophy with 68 points in 32 games guaranteed Inter Miami home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. This puts them in a good position as they aim to qualify for MLS Cup.
Sixteen different teams have won the Supporters’ Shield, with LA Galaxy and DC United leading the way with four titles each. Inter Miami also joins this list, showing how far they have come since their debut in 2020.
