Good, Bad & Ugly: Messi, De Paul play but Inter Miami win streak ends at six | OneFootball

Rebuilding Columbus Crew ends Herons' win streak at six matches

The return of World Cup stars Lionel Messi and Rodrigo De Paul, Casemiro's first appearance at Nu Stadium, center back Fricio Caicedo's first Inter Miami appearance, and the unveiling of Inter Miami's new "Cénit" third kit weren't enough to lift the Herons to victory Saturday. Instead, Brais Méndez --acquired by Columbus from Real Sociedad earlier this month -- snuck a looping 84th-minute free kick over everyone and into Miami's net to finish the scoring in a 2-2 tie.

Messi and De Paul were back, but Las Garzas were still shorthanded. Five starters were absent Saturday: Ian Fray and Telasco Segovia were suspended for yellow card accumulation, while Gonzalo Luján and Sergio Reguilón are recovering from leg injuries and Germán Berterame remains under Major League Soccer's concussion protocol after suffering neck and shoulder injuries in a collision last week against Montréal. Maxi Falcón and Tadeo Allende, starters during Inter Miami's MLS Cup playoff run in 2025, also were out with injuries.

The Herons fielded a very talented roster, but the lack of time playing together showed as the players struggled to connect in the final third and missed several chances when they did. Still, the pieces are falling into place entering the final half of the season.

Here's my take on tonight's Good, Bad & Ugly.

GOOD -- Suárez. When the seasoned Uruguayan striker is good, he's very, very good. El Pistolero, "the Gunslinger," added a score and an assist against the Crew, bringing his season total to 10 goals and 6 helpers. His first goal was a thing of beauty: In the 16th minute, Yannick Bright tipped a pass away from a Chicago player right to Suárez' feet; the savvy veteran quickly clipped the ball over Crew keeper Patrick Schulte's head and into the Columbus net from about 40 yards out.

Suárez struck again in first-half stoppage time. Making a perfectly timed run into the box, he got on the end of a De Paul through ball and looped it into the path of a charging Noah Allen, who headed the ball into the ground and by Schulte. The assistant referee ruled Suárez offside, but a VAR review overruled the call and allowed the goal, giving the Herons a 2-1 lead at halftime.

BAD -- Messi. Yes, he is the Greatest of All Time, but he isn't inhuman. The captain entered the match in the 53rd minute and failed to make an impact. Only two Herons had lower FotMob player ratings than Messi's 6.2 (of a possible 10).

UGLY -- Casemiro own goal. David Ruiz, who came on in the 75th minute, had a FotMob rating of 6.0, the second lowest for Miami players. The lowest? Casemiro's 5.3. The Brazilian star, playing in his second match for Inter Miami, gave Columbus its first score in the 34th minute. A Crew player intercepted Casemiro's pass from deep in the Herons' third and started a counterattack from midfield. Casemiro tried to block a shot from the left side of the goal but instead deflected the ball straight into the net.