In a truly theatrical affair, Inter Miami maintained their winning ways, securing a 5–3 win over FC Cincinnati on Wednesday night in front of a sell-out crowd at TQL Stadium.
The game in Cincinnati, Ohio was anticipated to be action-packed and goal-filled, bringing together the two highest-scoring teams in the Eastern Conference. It certainly did not disappoint.
Messi Hat Trick Leads the Way
Lionel Messi recorded a hat trick—the third of his MLS career—bringing his total career goals to a whopping 910. The Argentinian legend opened the scoring in the 24th minute, punishing a mistake from Cincinnati center back Matt Miazga and blasting the ball past goalkeeper Roman Celentano.
Cincinnati star striker Kévin Denkey nailed in a penalty kick in the 41st minute to quiet the Inter Miami attack momentarily. But the match quickly became a dramatic back-and-forth battle in the second half.
The hosts returned from the break firing on all cylinders to take a 2–1 lead before Messi equalized eight minutes later. Cincinnati's star player Evander gave the hosts the lead yet again in the 64th minute with a perfect upper-90 finish from outside the box.
Fans in blue and orange surely thought they would leave home happy, but Inter Miami added three more goals thereafter to prove them wrong, including a Germán Berterame volley and Messi's third of the night in the 89th minute.
Inter Miami Report Card vs. FC Cincinnati (4-3-3)
Here is Sports Illustrated's breakdown of the match, featuring report card grades for each Inter Miami player who saw the pitch.
Goalkeeper
Dayne St. Clair — D-: The Canadian impressively got a full palm on Kévin Denkey's penalty kick before it went in, but Cincinnati completely overpowered him in the second half.
Defenders
Ian Fray — B: Back from injury after missing the Toronto match at the weekend. Did well to get up the right flank and into the attack, allowing Messi to slide centrally into dangerous positions.
Gonzalo Luján — C-: Replacing Maxi Falcón once again in an effort to shore up the defensive outlook, he proved to be a much more stable, consistent option in the Herons' backline. Gave up the penalty kick after tugging on the jersey of star striker Denkey.
Micael — C-: The Brazilian center back struggled in his communication with Reguilón, with the duo often overwhelmed by the creativity of Denkey and Evander or simply not stepping to them early enough.
Sergio Reguilón — D: Made just his third start in league play this season after being plagued with a series of knocks earlier in the season. Looked a bit out of sorts, especially in the early minutes while trying to contain Denkey, but soon settled in. Left Bucha unmarked on the back post, leading to Cincinnati's second goal.
Midfielders
Rodrigo De Paul — B: The 31-year-old's efforts to make the Argentina World Cup squad continued on Wednesday. He looked agile and explosive, frequently getting into the attack despite his typical defensive positioning.
Yannick Bright — C: Continuing to take on a more central role in the 4-3-3 as De Paul shifts to the right. He looked overwhelmed by Evander's offensive prowess at times.
Telasco Segovia — A: Dynamic through the middle and everywhere on the pitch. He combined well with Bright and De Paul and made up for Suárez's lack of mobility on the left flank.
Forwards
Lionel Messi — A+: Third straight match with at least three goal contributions. Third hat trick of his MLS career.
Germán Berterame — C: Germán Berterame was largely ineffective in this match. Often forgotten he was even there until he scored the late volley.