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In a truly dramatic spectacle, Inter Miami kept their momentum going, claiming a 5–3 victory over FC Cincinnati on Wednesday evening before a packed house at TQL Stadium.
The clash in Cincinnati, Ohio was expected to be a high-octane, goal-heavy contest, pitting the two most prolific attacking sides in the Eastern Conference against each other. It more than lived up to the billing, highlighted by a hat trick from Lionel Messi—the third of his MLS career—pushing his total career goal tally to an astonishing 910.
The Argentine icon kicked off the inevitable goal fest. He drove into the box and exploited a costly error from rattled Cincinnati center back Matt Miazga, firing past goalkeeper Roman Celentano in the 24th minute. The opening half remained relatively subdued after that, until Cincinnati's standout striker Kévin Denkey converted a penalty in the 41st minute.
The contest quickly evolved into a gripping end-to-end battle in the second half, with the home side returning from the interval with renewed intensity to grab a 2–1 advantage, before Messi responded personally and leveled the score eight minutes later.
Cincinnati's talismanic midfielder Evander sent the stadium into a frenzy with a stunning top-corner finish from outside the area, handing the hosts the lead once more in the 64th minute, 3–2. The blue and orange faithful were surely expecting a home victory, but Inter Miami struck three more times to shatter those hopes, including a Germán Berterame volley following a chaotic collision between Cincinnati's goalkeeper and center back, and Messi's third of the evening in the 89th minute.
Here is Sports Illustrated's breakdown of the match, featuring report card grades for each Inter Miami player who saw the pitch.
Inter Miami Report Card vs. FC Cincinnati (4-3-3)
GK: Dayne St. Clair—D-: The Canadian impressively got a full hand on Kévin Denkey's spot kick before it crossed the line, but was thoroughly overwhelmed by Cincinnati in the second half.
RB: Ian Fray—B: Returning from injury after sitting out the Toronto match at the weekend. Did well to push forward along the right flank and contribute to attacks, enabling Messi to drift centrally into threatening areas.
CB: Gonzalo Luján—C-: Once again stepping in for Maxi Falcón in an attempt to solidify the defensive unit, he proved to be a considerably more reliable and composed presence in the Herons' back line. However, he conceded the penalty after pulling on striker Denkey's shirt.
CB: Micael—C-: The Brazilian center back struggled to communicate effectively with Reguilón, with the pair frequently caught out by the inventiveness of Denkey and Evander or simply failing to close them down quickly enough.
LB: Sergio Reguilón—D: Making only his third league start of the season after battling a string of injuries earlier in the campaign. Appeared somewhat disjointed, particularly in the opening stages while attempting to handle Denkey, though he gradually found his footing. Left Bucha unmarked at the back post, however, which led directly to Cincinnati's second goal.
RM: Rodrigo De Paul—B: Rodrigo De Paul's push to earn a place in Argentina's World Cup squad continued on Wednesday. The 31-year-old looked sharp and energetic, consistently getting forward into attacking positions despite his usual defensive role.
CM: Yannick Bright—C: Continuing to operate in a more central capacity within the 4-3-3 as De Paul moves to the right. He appeared at times to be overwhelmed by Evander's attacking quality.
LM: Telasco Segovia—A: Lively and influential across the entire pitch. He linked up effectively with Bright and De Paul and compensated for Suárez's limited mobility on the left side.
RW: Lionel Messi—A+: Third consecutive match with at least three goal contributions. Third hat trick of his MLS career.
ST: Germán Berterame—C: Germán Berterame was largely anonymous throughout the match. He barely registered a presence until he pounced on Cincinnati's unfortunate collision.
LW: Luis Suárez—D: Appeared largely restricted in his movement, though he showed occasional flashes of pace and quality. These moments ultimately came to nothing.
SUB: Facundo Mura (65' for Reguilón)—C: Offered a welcome change from Reguilón on the left side.
SUB: Mateo Silvetti (76' for Suárez)—A+: Made his return from a hamstring injury. Needed just three minutes to remind Inter Miami exactly what they had been missing.
Subs not used: Rocco Ríos Novo (GK), Maxi Falcón, Cesar Abadia-Reda, David Ruiz, David Ayala, Preston Plambeck, Dániel Pintér.
One Thing We Can't Ignore
Despite Inter Miami ultimately coming away with the three points, Wednesday marked the third straight match in which they surrendered an early lead, a troubling pattern that appears to be forming and one that makes their path to victory far more difficult than it should be.
The trend was first—and most painfully—evident in Inter Miami's embarrassing 4–3 defeat to Orlando City on May 2. The South Florida side held a commanding 3–0 advantage by the 33rd minute, only to be completely overrun by the typically underperforming Central Florida outfit, following a series of complacent and careless moments.
While Inter Miami did manage a 4–2 victory over Toronto FC in their next fixture at the weekend, that game was similarly marred by late sloppiness. They held a dominant 4–0 lead heading into the 82nd minute, but once again lost their concentration, allowing the Canadian side to score twice in the closing eight minutes.
The pink-clad squad will need to sharpen their mental focus and tighten their defensive discipline if they are serious about defending their MLS Cup title this fall.
What's Next For Inter Miami?
Inter Miami return to South Florida for their final two fixtures before the 2026 FIFA World Cup international break. Still searching desperately for their first home win at Nu Stadium since the permanent venue opened in early April, they first host the Portland Timbers on Sunday, before another opportunity to claim a home victory against the Philadelphia Union the following week.