It was the Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez show at Chase Field on Saturday evening as the Herons thumped the New York Red Bulls.
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Messi breaks two MLS recordsArgentine bags six goal-contributionsInter Miami defeats RBNY 6-2USA Today ImagesTELL ME MORE
The Red Bulls went into halftime with a 1-0 lead courtesy of a Dante Vanzeir goal in the 30th minute. Confident as ever, they came out of the halftime tunnel looking to close out a road result.
That did not happen.
Lionel Messi, instead, notched five assists and one goal himself en-route to a stunning 6-2 victory for Inter Miami. The Argentine assisted a Matias Rojas brace and three Suarez strikes as the Uruguayan notched a hat-trick.
The Red Bulls earned a late consolation goal in stoppage-time via an Emil Forsberg penalty kick, but it was far too little, far too late.
It was a lopsided result for the Herons, who avenged a 4-0 defeat on the road against RNMY in March.
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Saturday was Suarez's first-ever hat-trick for Inter Miami as the Uruguayan scored his eighth, ninth and 10th MLS goal of the season.
Getty ImagesTHE MVP
Lionel Messi:
There's not much else to say; he's an alien. Five assists and a goal in one half of soccer is not only unheard of, it's never been done in MLS history.
He's already blasted past the 10 goals, 10 assist mark despite missing four matches to injury. He leads the race for the Golden Boot and has the most assists in the league, too.
He set two different MLS records Saturday, one via his six-goal contributions and the other with him notching five assists in one game.
USA Today ImagesTHE BIG LOSER
The New York Red Bulls:
Every single player on the pitch was not only overwhelmed by the Argentine… they were intimidated. The Red Bylls absolutely dominated the Herons during the first half and the second half was a genuine embarrassment of a performance.
Sometimes, though, you can't stop greatness. Tonight may have been a case of that.