Messi stars as Inter Miami rallies past FC Cincinnati 5-3

The result added to a remarkable stretch away from home for Inter Miami, which has now won seven straight road games. It also underlined how quickly Messi can change the scale of a match. His two goals were his 10th and 11th of the season, and he has now produced at least three goal contributions in a game three times this year, a level of influence that keeps lifting Inter Miami’s ceiling whenever he is involved in the final third.

That impact matters well beyond one frantic eight-goal night. Inter Miami, the defending MLS Cup champions, is still working under interim coach Guillermo Hoyos after Javier Mascherano departed on April 14, 2026, and the team’s late-game resilience has become part of its identity during the transition. Even when the defense opens the door, Messi and Inter Miami keep showing they can turn pressure into points, which is exactly why nights like this carry so much weight for the league’s bigger picture.

For FC Cincinnati, the loss was a bitter swing in a game that had been positioned as a marquee Eastern Conference matchup. Cincinnati entered unbeaten in six straight and sat sixth in the East with 16 points, at 4-4-4 entering the match, before the defeat dropped it to 4-4-5 with 16 points. The club said it led 3-2 in the 79th minute and then found itself down by two goals only 10 minutes later, a collapse that sent it toward a Saturday trip to San Diego FC.