No Messi, no problem: Inter Miami continue championship push without talisman

The club have won seven of eight games without their star player, clinching a spot in the MLS playoffs and picking up points at a record pace

In a game that had already seen two goals and a red card, it was a goalline clearance in the 76th minute that spoke as the clearest statement of Inter Miami's intent for the remainder of the 2024 MLS season.

Hosting fellow Eastern Conference contenders FC Cincinnati at Chase Stadium, Miami raced into an early two-goal lead thanks to a Luis Suarez brace. Twice Tata Martino's side pounced on careless turnovers by the visitors inside the first six minutes, and twice the veteran Uruguayan striker finished ruthlessly inside the penalty area.