It had to be him, didn't it? For 90 minutes, Inter Miami deserved a whole lot of nothing from their visit to the LA Galaxy on Sunday night. That was the first 90, though. As it turned out, Lionel Messi was simply waiting for minute 92.
The Argentine was the hero, of course. His 92nd-minute goal helped Miami steal a point that few would say they deserved. Combining with Jordi Alba, Messi turned back the clocks with a fantastic last-gasp finish to stun a Galaxy team that had so, so many chances to put this game away.
Dejan Jovelic scored LA's lone goal, and it's a wonder that it was the only one. Riqui Puig saw his penalty kick saved by Drake Callender, who created miracles to keep the Galaxy from more. He faced 23 shots during the match, but only one slipped in one as Jovelic was left free to tap-in on the back post in the 75th minute.
From there, though, things slowly started to go Miami's way. Marco Delgado's 87th-minute second yellow card was the start of it all, a questionable call at best, that helped turn the game. From that moment forward, Miami had a chance, and Messi ultimately made the most of it.
Despite the result, the Herons looked clearly frustrated after the final whistle. They were played off the field for much of this one but, somehow, stole a point anyway. That's what Messi can do - and at the end of the day, having the Argentine in your XI remains a cheat code.
GOAL rates Inter Miami's players from Dignity Health Sports Park...