Messi, Inter Miami settle for 2-2 tie at home vs. Atlanta after weather delay

Thunderstorms delayed the start of Inter Miami’s home game against Atlanta United on Saturday night.

Read more Police bust suspected catalytic converter theft ring across LA and Orange counties

The game, which marked the return of Atlanta coach Tata Martino to face his former team, was scheduled to kick off at 7:30 p.m. but lightning in the area pushed back the start to 9:05 p.m. Once the game started, the Nu Stadium crowd got 100 minutes of drama in a tense game that ended in a 2-2 tie.

Inter Miami was coming off a 7-1 rout of CF Montreal in which Lionel Messi had a historic four-goal performance. This game proved much more difficult.

For the second week in a row, Brazilian star Casemiro got Miami on the scoreboard with a header off a Messi corner kick. This one came in the 32nd minute, as Casemiro, playing center back, rose up and found the far post.

He ran to the corner flag and lifted Messi into his arms, something nobody could have imagined when Casemiro was winning five Champions League titles with Real Madrid while Messi was winning titles with Barcelona.

But the celebration was shortlived. Three minutes after Casemiro scored, he made a poor clearance in front of the Miami goal, which led to the Atlanta equalizer by Miguel Almiron. Miami had lost the ball on the counterattack, and Casemiro cleared it in the direction of Miami goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair, who made the save, but Almiron scored off the rebound to make it 1-1.

Inter Miami reclaimed the lead just before halftime as Luis Suarez made a sublime finish off an assist by Telasco Segovia.

Atlanta had a golden opportunity to tie the game at the 73-minute mark when Almiron was awarded a penalty kick after VAR showed that Casemiro made contact with Almiron’s left leg in the box. The Nu Stadium crowd watched nervously as Almiron took a shot with his left leg, and then St. Clair made his biggest save since joining the team this season, preserving Miami’s lead.

The Canadian goalkeeper, who had lost his starting job briefly to Rocco Rios Novo, roared after making the save, as his teammates celebrated with him.

But once again, the visitors quickly knotted the score.

Inter Miami’s Fricio Caicedo, the 18-year-old Ecuadorean making his first start at left back, was called for a foul on Breel Embolo in the box in the 87th minute. Embolo, Atlanta’s new $18 million Swiss forward, was making his MLS debut and converted the penalty for his first goal.

Inter Miami came within inches of re-taking the lead with a flurry of shots late in stoppage time, but De Paul’s shot was blocked, Messi had a shot saved and then, when the Argentine captain took an attempt off the rebound, it was blocked and sailed wide right. Back on the doorstep of the goal one last time at the 100-minute mark, Berterame’s header from the center of box off a cross from Bright went over the crossbar.

Messi and his teammates argued with Atlanta players immediately after the final whistle, clearly frustrated to leave the field with just one point.

Martino was asked by Apple TV before the game how it felt to be back in Miami facing his former team. He said: “It’s nice to come back to this city, and to see this beautiful stadium that I had never seen. Obviously, the memories we had with Inter Miami were very nice for all of us. I am happy to be here.”

Martino added that he wanted to give “eternal thanks” to Messi for all he did for Argentina before he retired from the national team last week. “Now it’s time to stop demanding of him, to leave him alone and let him enjoy his life, however he wants, continuing here in Miami, with his family and especially that God give him and his loved ones much happiness.”

Martino and Messi shared a warm embrace during warmups before the match.

Atlanta had won three games in a row in August, but lost 2-0 to Charlotte last weekend and slipped to 13th place in the East.

Read more Indonesia’s Anak Krakatau eruption halts flights, schools, fishing

Inter Miami, which snapped a five-game winless streak last weekend, leads the league with 56 goals over 22 games (2.5 goals per game) and Messi leads the Golden Boot race with 18 goals.

The team is in second place in the Eastern Conference, 11 points behind leader Nashville SC and five points ahead of third-place Chicago with 12 games remaining in the regular season. Miami plays on the road at Chicago on Wednesday.

Miami’s starting lineup on Saturday had just one change from the Montreal match.

Caicedo started at left back, replacing Sergio Reguilon, who was out with a hamstring injury, and Noah Allen, who left Inter Miami this week on loan to the Chicago Fire with a permanent $3 million move to come in January 2027.

The rest of Miami’s starters were goalkeeper St. Clair, right back Ian Fray, Casemiro at center back, Maxi Falcon at center back, midfielder Rodrigo De Paul, midfielder Yannick Bright, midfielder Telasco Segovia, left wing Luis Suarez, right wing Messi and center forward German Berterame.

Atlanta’s Starting XI included Embolo, Switzerland’s World Cup star who signed with Atlanta on August 23.

Asked on Apple TV before the game whether he had revenge on his mind after Switzerland’s extra time loss to Argentina in the World Cup quarterfinals, Embolo smiled and said: “No, no revenge. It’s always a pleasure to play against the greatest. It’s two different games. I’m excited to play against him. We will do everything we can, we want to be the winner because we need three points.”

Atlanta’s other starters were goalkeeper Lucas Hoyos, left back Elias Baez, center back Junior Alonso, center back Paulo Diaz, right back Tomas Jacob, midfielder Tristan Muyumba, midfielder Will Reilly, midfielder Cooper Sanchez, captain and left winger Miguel Almiron, and right wing Alexei Miranchuk.

Former Inter Miami striker Fafa Picault, who grew up in South Florida, came off the bench for Atlanta in the 85th minute.

Martino, an Argentine from Messi’s hometown of Rosario, became Miami’s coach after Messi’s arrival in the summer of 2023 and led the team to the 2024 Supporters’ Shield with the best regular season record in MLS history.

He resigned unexpectedly on November 2024, citing “personal reasons” and was hired a year later by Atlanta, the club with whom he had won the MLS Cup in 2018.

Asked on Friday how his team planned to contain Messi, Martino chuckled and replied: “We just saw what he did at the World Cup at the age of 39. Everything that happened in a match went through him. There’s no team capable of neutralizing him for the entire 92 or 93 or 95 minutes of the match.

“There is always a decisive moment. Sometimes there are many moments in a match, at other times, like in the game against England, it comes down to a single moment, and then it’s over. There is no turning back. I told the players, `Even if we control the match for 89 minutes, we can still lose.”

His players followed his advice, held Messi scoreless, and escaped with a 2-2 tie that surely gave Atlanta players optimism heading into the final months of the season.

Saturday’s game began with a stirring rendition of the Star Spangled Banner by violinist Demola. After the game, the Inter Miami Special Olympics Unified Team was scheduled to play a match on the Nu Stadium field against the Atlanta United Special Olympics Unified Team.

Read more Influencer Jack Doherty Arrested for Alleged Domestic Violence Incident

This story was originally published September 5, 2026 at 8:24 PM.