SoFla Guide Editors
Lionel Messi needed four minutes to settle a road game Saturday night. The 39-year-old scored in the 56th and 60th minutes as Inter Miami beat Atlanta United 3-1 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, according to the club’s official site, stretching the Herons’ winning streak to three straight in the 2026 MLS regular season.
The win moved Inter Miami to 15 wins, 5 losses and 10 draws for 55 points, good for second in the Eastern Conference, per the club.
A header, then a Messi blitz
Inter Miami did not wait around in Atlanta. Germán Berterame opened the scoring with a header in the 45th minute, assisted by Luis Suárez, with a secondary assist credited to Messi, according to the Inter Miami official site.
Then came the part everyone will be replaying on their phones this week. Messi scored in the 56th minute, and before Atlanta could catch its breath, he scored again in the 60th, the club reported. Two goals, four minutes, game effectively over. Atlanta got one back, but the final read 3-1, per ABC News via the AP wire.
For anyone keeping score at home, and plenty of South Floridians are, Messi’s brace pushed his 2026 MLS regular-season total to 25 goals, which leads the Golden Boot race, according to ESPN. The gap to the next closest player sits at six goals.
Head coach Cristian “Kily” González, who took over on September 16 of this year according to ESPN, sounded like the rest of us watching from the couch.
“He never ceases to amaze the world. I mean, I honestly can’t believe that a guy like him, at 39 years old, is doing what he’s doing,” González told ESPN.
Three wins, three clean statements
The streak has a tidy shape to it. Inter Miami blanked D.C. United 4-0 on October 10, then beat New York City FC 2-0 on October 14, according to ESPN. Local 10 also confirmed the 2-0 result over NYCFC. Saturday’s 3-1 in Atlanta made it three in a row.
That NYCFC win did more than add three points. It clinched Inter Miami’s spot in the 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs, ESPN reported. So the Atlanta trip was the first game the Herons played knowing the postseason was locked up, and they responded by going on the road and winning anyway.
González was measured about the clinch when he spoke after the NYCFC match on October 14.
“Well, [qualifying for the playoffs] was one of the club’s initial goals for the season, and we’re there, but we still need to keep improving as a team,” he told ESPN.
Judging by Saturday, the improving part is going fine.
Why this one hits different in Miami
There is a little history baked into this result for longtime fans. Atlanta United knocked Inter Miami out in the first round of the 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs, winning the best-of-three series 2-1 and taking Game 3 by a 3-2 score on November 9, 2024, at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. Walking into Mercedes-Benz Stadium and leaving with a comfortable win carries a bit of extra flavor because of that.
Inter Miami also entered 2026 as defending champions after beating the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1 in the 2025 MLS Cup final. Defending a title with a coaching change in September is not the easy route. A three-game run in October, capped by a road win, suggests the group has found its footing under González.
And then there is Messi himself. Beyond the 25 goals, he has 15 assists this season, which made him the first player in MLS history to record at least 15 assists in three consecutive seasons. At 39. In October. Playing in Atlanta.
What’s next
Inter Miami sits second in the East with 55 points and a playoff berth already secured, per the club and ESPN. The regular season is winding down, and the obvious storylines are whether the Herons can keep climbing the table, whether Messi can hold onto the Golden Boot lead, and how far González’s side can go in defense of the MLS Cup.
No facts were released on the next opponent or kickoff time as of this writing, so check the club’s schedule before making weekend plans. Based on the last three games, those plans should probably include a TV.
