Lionel Messi was back on the Nu Stadium turf less than 24 hours after returning from Buenos Aires on Saturday evening. His verdict on life after Argentina, delivered 90 minutes at a time, was emphatic: two goals, a Golden Boot lead stretched to 23 league strikes, and a five-match winless run ended.

The rout came on a night when the Argentine was not even the quickest to the scoresheet. Luis Suarez struck in the third minute, finishing from a Germán Berterame delivery, and he doubled the lead in the 39th. Messi, quiet in the first half, took over after the break.

Suarez clinical before the break

The Uruguayan’s second was built the same way as his first, Berterame picking him out, Suarez finishing cleanly. By halftime, DC United’s visit to Nu Stadium was already a damage-limitation exercise, with Sean Johnson making five saves to keep the score from running further away.

Messi takes over after the restart

The second half was two minutes old when Messi arrived. Suarez found him for a left-footed finish in the 47th, and Rodrigo De Paul picked him out in the 60th for a run through the box that ended with a 12-yard strike past Johnson. Messi, who played the full 90, moved to 23 league goals, out in front in the 2026 MLS Golden Boot race.

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Cristian “Kily” González, who took over as head coach on 16 September, picked up his first MLS win in charge. His side had entered the fixture winless in five, a run that had turned a comfortable postseason conversation into an anxious one.

The Argentina backdrop

Messi had closed his international career on 6 October at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires, where more than 85,000 supporters watched Argentina beat Benin 3-0. He scored from the penalty spot and set up the other two.

Five days later, in the Florida heat, there were no farewell banners or tribute videos. Just two goals, both second half, both in front of a home crowd that has watched most of them this season.

Inter Miami improved to 13 wins, 5 defeats and 10 draws for 49 points, and host New York City FC at Nu Stadium on Wednesday, 14 October.

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