Inter Miami Routs D.C. United 4-0 as Messi and Suárez Score Twice Each, Climbs to Second in the East

Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez each scored twice and Inter Miami CF routed D.C. United 4-0 on Saturday night, Oct. 10, at Nu Stadium, snapping a five-match winless run and moving the defending MLS Cup champions into second place in the Eastern Conference with six games left in the regular season.

The win came four days after Messi played his final match for Argentina, and the 39-year-old captain went the full 90 minutes. His two goals gave him 23 for the season, the most in MLS, according to the Associated Press. It was also the first league win for new head coach Cristian "Kily" González, who took over on Sept. 16.

Suárez strikes early

Inter Miami needed three minutes to break through. Sergio Reguilón crossed from the left, Germán Berterame redirected it with his head, and Suárez finished first-time with his left foot from the center of the box for his 14th league goal of the season, according to the club's match recap.

Goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair kept it 1-0 in the 16th minute with a save on D.C. forward Tai Baribo, the visitors' leading scorer with 14 goals. Suárez doubled the lead in the 39th minute after D.C. goalkeeper Sean Johnson parried a point-blank Messi shot; Berterame headed the rebound across to Suárez, who tapped in from inside the 6-yard box for his 15th of the season. Berterame finished with two assists, giving him seven this season.

Messi takes over after halftime

Messi scored two minutes into the second half. Suárez worked space down the left side of the box and slid a pass to Messi, who finished first-time with his left foot. It was Suárez's ninth assist of the season.

The fourth goal, in the 60th minute, was a solo effort. Messi took a pass from Rodrigo De Paul through the middle, dribbled past two defenders into the box and beat Johnson low to the right corner from about 12 yards. De Paul's assist was his 13th of the league season, according to the club. Suárez came off a minute later for Riquelme Fillipi, and González used his remaining changes to rest regulars ahead of a midweek match.

Inter Miami controlled 61.7% of possession and outshot D.C. 17-15, putting nine shots on target to D.C.'s two, according to ESPN's match data. St. Clair made two saves for the clean sheet; Johnson made five. Neither side was shown a card.

González lined up in a 4-3-3, with St. Clair in goal behind a back four of Gonzalo Luján, Casemiro, Micael and Reguilón; De Paul, David Ayala and Matías Galarza in midfield; and Messi, Suárez and Berterame up front. D.C. United lost midfielder Hosei Kijima to an injury in the 64th minute; he was replaced by Silvan Hefti.

Ending a skid

Before Saturday, Inter Miami had gone five straight league matches without a win: draws with Atlanta United, Chicago, Nashville and San Diego, then a 2-1 loss at Columbus on Sept. 27 before the international break. The victory was Miami's first since a 7-1 rout of CF Montréal on Aug. 29.

González, a 52-year-old former Argentina international and Messi's onetime national-team teammate, arrived after head coach Javier Mascherano stepped down in April for personal reasons, according to MLS. Mascherano had guided the club to its first MLS Cup title in 2025, and assistant Guillermo Hoyos ran the team on an interim basis until González's arrival. González previously coached Rosario Central, Unión Santa Fe and Platense in Argentina.

The result extended Inter Miami's unbeaten run against D.C. United to seven matches, with five wins and two draws. D.C. United (6-12-9 in wins, draws and losses, 30 points) is winless in its last five.

Messi's Argentina farewell

Messi closed his 21-year international career on Tuesday, Oct. 6, with a goal and two assists in Argentina's 3-0 win over Benin at Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires. He set up Nicolás Otamendi and Nico Paz and converted a penalty, finishing as Argentina's leader in caps (208), goals (126) and assists (70), according to Inter Miami. He won the 2022 World Cup, two Copa América titles and the 2022 Finalissima with Argentina.

Messi is the reigning MLS MVP and Golden Boot winner and entered Saturday tied for the league lead with 13 assists, according to the club.

The Eastern Conference race

Inter Miami (13 wins, 10 draws, 5 losses) has 49 points from 28 matches, one point ahead of the Chicago Fire and three clear of New England and Charlotte. Nashville SC leads the East by 14 points. The top nine teams in each conference qualify for the playoffs, with seeds 1 through 7 going straight to a best-of-three first round and seeds 8 and 9 meeting in a wild-card match, according to MLS.

Here is the top of the Eastern Conference after Saturday's matches, according to ESPN:

Finishing in the top four would give Inter Miami home-field advantage in the first-round series, with the higher seed hosting Games 1 and 3.

What's next

Inter Miami has a quick turnaround, hosting New York City FC at Nu Stadium on Wednesday, Oct. 14, at 7:30 p.m. Four of its final six matches come against teams currently in the East's top nine, according to the league schedule:

The regular season ends on Decision Day, Nov. 7, with the wild-card matches on Nov. 18 and MLS Cup on Dec. 18. Nu Stadium, the 26,700-seat centerpiece of the Miami Freedom Park development near Miami International Airport, opened on April 4, replacing the club's temporary home at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.