Overview
- Lionel Messi announced this week that he will no longer play for the Argentina national team after a 21-year international career, and the AFA organized a minute of applause at the 10th minute of domestic matches in his honor.
- He started for Inter Miami in Sunday’s match at the NU Stadium, supplied an assist and struck the crossbar, but the game finished 2-2 when Breel Embolo converted an 87th-minute penalty for Atlanta United.
- Gerardo 'Tata' Martino, who coached Messi at Barcelona, Argentina and Inter Miami, embraced him before the match and publicly supported his decision to step away from the national team.
- Tensions flared after the final whistle when Messi confronted Atlanta defender Junior Alonso and teammates intervened to defuse the incident.
- Inter Miami remain second in the MLS Eastern Conference with 42 points, the club is in a coaching transition pending an official announcement for Cristian 'Kily' González, and the match was shown internationally on MLS Season Pass via Apple TV.