Lionel Messi & Inter Miami reach another level ahead of Club World Cup | OneFootball

By José Nuñez

Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF are heating up. And right on cue.

In their final match before next month's FIFA Club World Cup, Messi and the Herons delivered a dominant 5-1 home rout of the Columbus Crew.

The legendary Argentine No. 10 put in a 2g/3a performance on Saturday night, rivaling his remarkable 1g/5a output from a 6-2 win over the New York Red Bulls last year to enter the MLS record books.

Messi became just the second player in league history to record at least five goal contributions twice in a regular-season match, equalling the Crew's Diego Rossi, who accomplished the feat with LAFC.

Messi magic

In addition to his brace, the reigning Landon Donovan MLS MVP played helper on goals from Tadeo Allende, Luis Suárez and Fafà Picault to extend Miami's unbeaten run to three straight games (2W-0L-1D).

"Clearly, he's the best player in history to play this sport," head coach Javier Mascherano told reporters of Messi, who has 5g/4a during this three-game stretch. "And we have to understand that when he's not excelling too much, it's because some of us are failing. That's the reality."

"... That's the admiration: seeing someone else do what you can't do. You want to, but you can't."

Back to basics

Messi and Miami's improved run of form comes after a rough stretch in which the Herons managed just one win in eight games across all competitions since their previous showdown against the Crew: a 1-0 victory on April 19 at Cleveland’s Huntington Bank Field.

“Of course winning like this, in this manner, does give us confidence,” said Mascherano. “It shows us that if we are brave, if we remain calm, if we have the desire to compete, we can match up toe-to-toe with anyone – especially in MLS."

As for the Club World Cup, which Miami will officially kick off against Egyptian side Al Ahly on June 14 in the tournament's opening match, the Argentine manager was far more cautious.

"The Club World Cup? That is a different story," Mascherano said.

The world's stage

Mascherano, himself a two-time Club World Cup winner, is not looking beyond the inaugural game.

“Our objective is to win the first match. Like I always say, only focus on the next game in front of us – that is the objective," he said.

"If we are up to the standard of the competition, we will show it."

After hosting Al Ahly at Hard Rock Stadium, the Herons will face Portuguese titans FC Porto on June 19 at Atlanta United's Mercedes-Benz Stadium. They'll return to Hard Rock on June 23 for their Group A finale against Brazilian powerhouse Palmeiras.

"We have to be honest," Mascherano said. "The level [of play] will be higher than what we've faced in Concacaf [Champions Cup] and MLS."

WATCH: Inter Miami gain Club World Cup steam with Columbus Crew rout