New York Red Bulls vs Inter Miami score, result, highlights as Lionel Messi scores on MLS debut to seal victory

All indications prior to tonight were that Lionel Messi would see minimal action, if any, in his first opportunity for MLS minutes with Inter Miami.

Yet with Inter Miami leading 1-0 on a Diego Gomez first-half goal, and the Red Bull Arena crowd begging to see the Argentine superstar, they would get their wish. Messi entered for over a half-hour of action, and his 89th minute goal sealed the win as the Herons topped the New York Red Bulls in Messi’s MLS debut.

Back to league action for the stretch run after the Leagues Cup break, Inter Miami sat bottom of the Eastern Conference with 12 games remaining, needing a near-perfect finish to the season for a sniff at a playoff position. The mountain for them to climb is towering, but these three points against a fellow playoff chaser are a fantastic start.

With Messi and Sergio Busquets on the bench to start the match, needing rest after a grueling first month of action for their new club, Inter Miami fought well, surviving an Omir Fernandez miss to take the lead on Gomez’s excellent opener. While the Red Bulls had chances to equalize, it was Messi’s first-ever MLS goal to seal the three points, which took Inter Miami off the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings and into 14th, jumping above Toronto FC.

The Sporting News is following the NY Red Bulls vs Inter Miami match live, providing score updates, commentary and highlights as they happen.

MORE: Tracking every player Lionel Messi has swapped shirts with since joining Inter Miami

NY Red Bulls vs Inter Miami live score

	Score (1H)	Goal scorers
RBNY	0	–
Inter Miami	2	D. Gomez (37′), Messi (89′)

Starting lineups:

NY Red Bulls (4-4-2, right to left): 1. Coronel (GK) — Harper (Carmona, 84′), Reyes, S. Nealis, Tolkin — O. Fernandez (Hurtado, 77′), Edelman, Yearwood (Stroud, 46′), Amaya (Burke, 66′), Luquinhas — Manoel (Barlow, 46′).

Inter Miami (3-5-2, right to left): Callender (GK) — Aviles, Miller, Allen — Taylor (Yedlin, 60′), D. Gomez (R. Robinson, 84′), Arroyo, D. Ruiz (Busquets, 60′), Alba — Campana (Messi, 60′), Farias (Cremaschi, 72′).

NY Red Bulls vs Inter Miami live updates, highlights, commentary

FULLTIME: NY Red Bulls 0-2 Inter Miami

Diego Gomez got things started with Lionel Messi on the bench, and the Argentine eventually came on to make his mark on the match. Credit Tata Martino for devising a plan to make use of his young transfer additions and homegrown talent, before turning to his former Barcelona stars with a half-hour to go.

The New York Red Bulls continue to struggle in the final third, with Omir Fernandez’s miss looming very large on the final outcome of this game. They had a few very good chances to get back in it, but couldn’t put any of them away.

Inter Miami get the first three points of what will be a long and arduous playoff chase. It’s a great start, but there’s a lot more to come. New York, meanwhile, have to sort things out in the final third if they are to have any chance at a postseason berth.

NY Red Bulls vs Inter Miami: Second Half

89th min: GOAL! INTER MIAMI! WHO ELSE BUT LIONEL MESSI TO SEAL IT FOR INTER MIAMI ON HIS MLS DEBUT! The Red Bull defense swarms Messi left of the penalty spot, so he feeds it to Benji Cremaschi on the opposite end. Then, as the defense scrambles to cover Cremaschi, that leaves Messi by himself for the return ball, and he buries the tap-in!

Messi gets his first-ever MLS goal!

87th min: Oh my goodness, all of Red Bull Arena held its breath as Lionel Messi got on the ball at the top of the penalty area and touched onto his favored left in space. He had the room to shoot! Instead, he pulls it back, and ends up winning a foul right outside the top of the penalty area.

Carlos Coronel is issued a yellow card for his efforts. This is right in Messi range…he stands over the ball…and it’s blasted into the wall.

84th min: The match has slowed to a crawl as the subs break up action, which will suit Inter Miami just fine. The goal scorer Diego Gomez is withdrawn to make way for Robbie Robinson, who returns from injury. Cameron Harper is withdrawn as the Red Bulls throw Wilkomen Carmona on the pitch.

77th min: Inter Miami are in a lower block now, and the Red Bulls are struggling to find a way through. They’ll make another change, to bring on Jorge Hurtado, 19-year-old Colombian on loan from Watford. He replaces Omir Fernandez.

72nd min: Another change for Inter Miami, as Tata Martino brings on Benji Cremaschi to replace fellow youngster Facundo Farias. That probably means there’s a system change, as Inter Miami don’t have a true striker on the pitch.

69th min: Lionel Messi is starting to have an effect. First he looks to play a combination with Jordi Alba that’s finally sniffed out on the fourth pass between them, and moments later he gets a deep ball from Sergio Busquets on a platter but it’s too close to the end line and he’s marshaled out of play.

66th min: The Red Bulls will make an attacking change, withdrawing midfielder Frankie Amaya and bringing on striker Corey Burke, who makes his return from a hip injury.

63rd min: Chance, New York! Frankie Amaya blasts one wide left, having beaten Drake Callender! He takes aim from just outside the top of the penalty area, and rifles it past the post. The only other time Lionel Messi came off the bench was for his Inter Miami debut against Cruz Azul, and in that game, the opponent scored soon after he entered. Can the Red Bulls do the same? They’ve dominated since the second-half restart.

60th min: The change is finally made as Inter Miami bring on three players, including Lionel Messi. Red Bull Arena blows its top. Leo Campana, David Ruiz, and Robert Taylor are withdrawn.

57th min: Chance, New York! DRAKE CALLENDER WITH A HUGE SAVE! He makes a sliding stop with Tom Barlow clean through on goal!

And now Lionel Messi is about to enter! Red Bull Arena is in elation! He’ll be entering alongside Sergio Busquets and DeAndre Yedlin.

50th min: Chance, New York! Omir Fernandez meets John Tolkin’s corner with his head and loops it over the goalkeeper, but Drake Callender gets his fingertips to it with an acrobatic leap and tips it over the bar! WHAT a save by Callender, who’s been fantastic over the past month!

47th min: The Red Bulls have started this on the front foot, but they still can’t get it right with the final ball. Tom Barlow looks lively since coming on. Lionel Messi gets up to warm and all of Red Bull Arena loses its mind.

Kickoff: The second half is under way, and Lionel Messi remains on the bench — for now. The only other time he started on the Inter Miami bench, he came on before the hour mark, but in that match against Cruz Azul, Inter Miami were level. They lead here, so we’ll see how Tata Martino plays this. He told the MLS Espanol broadcast “we’ll see how it goes.”

For the New York Red Bulls, Tom Barlow and Peter Stroud have entered the field as substitutes. Timmy Trumpet plays across Red Bull Arena.

HALFTIME: NY Red Bulls 0-1 Inter Miami

That was an enjoyable 45 minutes, with teams going at each other trying to take advantage of the mistakes of the opponents. In a nod to the genius of Gerardo Martino, Inter Miami looked bright even without Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets, who currently remain amongst the substitutes. This is not the Inter Miami of old, even without those two stars.

The Red Bulls had good moments, mostly created by Luquinhos, but they failed to pounce on the one big chance, which Omir Fernandez put wide. The penalty would have been nice, but it was rightly chalked off. A tight match which Inter Miami lead thanks to one good finish and one bad miss.

Red Bull Arena fans are patently (well, not so patiently) waiting for the introduction of Lionel Messi.

NY Red Bulls vs Inter Miami: First Half

43rd min: PENALTY, NEW YORK! An Omir Fernandez shot hits David Ruiz in the arm, and a penalty is awarded by Alan Chapman! It’s a miserable decision, as Ruiz’s arm was blatantly down by his side. That’s never a penalty. Chapman may have seen Ruiz’s lower arm extended at the elbow, but the ball hit his upper arm which was glued to his hip.

The referee is directed to go check the monitor, and he needs just two looks at it to realize he’s made a mistake. NO PENALTY! That’s the right call, and a yellow card shown to Ruiz for the initial decision has been chalked off as well.  A great example of exactly how VAR should work, quick and efficient to find the right decision to correct a clear and obvious error.

41st min: Chance, Inter Miami! Leonardo Campana with his back to goal has an acrobatic chance done all by himself, chesting a cross up into the air, and whipping his leg around, but the shot is saved by Carlos Coronel.

37th min: GOAL! INTER MIAMI! Diego Gomez makes New York pay for their miss, and puts Inter Miami up before halftime! Jordi Alba’s set-piece delivery is punched clear by Carlos Coronel, but on the recycle, Noah Allen’s delivery is right at the feet of Diego Gomez 10 yards out, and he buries it low into the bottom-right corner.

35th min: Chance, New York! OMIR FERNANDEZ PUTS A SITTER WIDE! IT’S A TERRIBLE MISS! Inter Miami is caught high, and Luquinhos carves their remaining defenders to shreds. He has a window to shoot, but instead feeds it left, where a cross comes in to Omir Fernandez at the top of the six-yard box. Fernandez is all alone and has the entire goal to pick out, but he scuffs it completely and puts it wide of the far post!

That’s a HORRID miss, with by far the best chance of the game! He was all alone in front of goal!

29th min: Diego Gomez is clattered by Frankie Amaya on a cross, and it gives them a set piece essentially from the corner flag. The Red Bulls are unhappy about the call, but it’s a clear foul. Noah Allen’s delivery is driven low to the near post, and it comes off Kamal Miller to Facundo Farias, who rips a shot wide.

27th min: Facundo Farias does very well to get forward, but he’s marshaled out of play expertly by Colombian defender Andres Reyes. There’s been very little goal mouth action so far through nearly a half-hour, but this has been a fun battle so far.

20th min: Luquinhas dances and weaves around defenders to create space for a shot, and while it looks like there’s space for the effort, Kamal Miller comes over for the block.

Then moments later, Tomas Aviles goes in very recklessly to clean out Luquinhas at the top of the penalty area, conceding a very dangerous free-kick and picking up a deserved booking. John Tolkin, who scored the late winner last weekend on a free-kick, delivers this one straight into the wall.

18th min: Robert Taylor has been very active at right wing-back for Inter Miami, and he picks up an ugly turnover while pushing high into the Red Bulls half. Yet he blows it immediately, seeing Leonardo Campana sitting all alone in the attacking third but not realizing he’s standing well offside. The flag goes up.

15th min: Now it’s New York who have a set-piece after John Tolkin is fouled, and Kamal Miller is on hand to clear both deliveries before a corner is conceded. That’s cleared as well.

11th min: Jordi Alba is spiked by Cameron Harper after delivering a corner, and the Red Bulls right-back picks up an early yellow card for his bad tackle. This results in a good set-piece chance for Inter Miami down near the corner flag, and they play it short to Noah Allen, whose delivery earns a corner.

7th min: Chance, Inter Miami! With Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets on the field, Inter Miami have been ball hogs, but tonight the Red Bulls are possessing most of the early impetus. Yet Inter Miami counter on turnovers, and Jordi Alba crosses to Diego Gomez on the slide. He puts it just wide right!

It didn’t take long for Red Bull Arena to start calling for Messi, who’s sitting amongst the substitutes.

3rd min: Inter Miami have started this game with a very active counter-press, energetically closing down every New York player on the ball. It’s causing some problems early, but hasn’t yet created any chances.

Down the other end Kamal Miller defends a threaded vertical ball for Elias Manoel very well.

Kickoff: The match is under way! Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets are on the bench for now, but regardless, Inter Miami must find a way to get three points in this game if they want to start their push for an MLS playoff spot. Each of their 12 remaining league games are so so important. The same is true for the Red Bulls who are also chasing a playoff berth.

It’s hip hop night in Harrison, NJ, celebrating the 50-year anniversary of the musical genre with the debut of the Red Bulls’ third kit.

NY Red Bulls vs Inter Miami: Pre-match commentary, analysis, stats, and more

10 mins to kick: With Lionel Messi on the bench, the man who will pull the strings today for Inter Miami up front is Facundo Farias. The 20-year-old joined Inter Miami in late July from Argentine club CA Colon for a €5 million ($5.4m) transfer fee. He made his Inter Miami debut in the U.S. Open Cup semifinal off the bench, and now he earns his first start. He’s expected to be a huge young talent for this team.

20 mins to kick: In a nod to the danger Lionel Messi presents even as a substitute, Messi’s odds to score tonight are still the lowest of any player starting tonight’s match. Messi sits at +115 to score at BetMGM as this match nears its start. Those are the first plus odds that Messi has seen since his debut for Inter Miami against Cruz Azul (also the last time he was named amongst the substitutes), but they’re still lower than any of the 22 other players in either starting lineup.

Click here to see more about Messi’s odds to score for Inter Miami since he joined the MLS club.

40 mins to kick: For the Red Bulls, head coach Troy Lesesne has gone with a clogged five-man midfield. Frankie Amaya steps in as an additional body, in place of striker Dante Vanezir. They’ll sacrifice an attacking presence to muck things up in the middle, although that may have been in anticipation of defending Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets, who both start this game on the bench.

50 mins to kick: The Inter Miami lineup is out, and it has confirmed that Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets will not start. Tata Martino is giving the three center-back formation another go, after it largely flopped in the U.S. Open Cup semifinal against FC Cincinnati.

Facundo Farias and Leonardo Campana start up front, with David Ruiz and Diego Gomez in attacking roles in midfield. Robert Taylor is at wing-back, while Benji Cremaschi is amongst the substitutes.

1 hour to kick: With Lionel Messi seemingly not starting, it’ll be interesting to see how Tata Martino plays this game up front. Robert Taylor could be given a more influential role on the wing, with another winger slotted straight in for Messi, or he could change things up tactically up front.

Martino could try to partner Leonardo Campana and Josef Martinez as a strike pairing, with a No. 10 behind them, possible young Facundo Farias who just signed in the most recent transfer window.

1 hour 15 mins to kick: With Sergio Busquets reportedly rested in this match, Benji Cremaschi could potentially be handed an even more influential role in the Inter Miami game plan tonight. The 18-year-old has reportedly been included on the USMNT provisional roster for the upcoming friendlies against Uzbekistan and Oman in early September.

Cremaschi, a Miami native, is being courted by both the United States and Argentina, and playing alongside Argentine legend Lionel Messi, he’ll certainly have influences on both sides. A call-up from Gregg Berhalter could go a long way towards swaying his decision, even if he can’t officially be cap-tied in the upcoming friendlies.

1 hour 30 mins to kick: It has been anticipated that, at some point, Inter Miami head coach Gerardo Martino will have to rest Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets, but given the aforementioned mountain they must climb in MLS play, finding openings in the schedule to sit him is next to impossible.

Well, it seems we have our answer. According to reliable TyC reporter Gaston Edul, both Messi and Busquets will NOT start tonight’s match, but will be amongst the substitutes. It feels likely that they will enter off the bench at some point during the game, but at this point, Messi’s MLS debut may have to wait a little longer.

Click here to read more about what Tata Martino said yesterday about Messi needing rest.

1 hour 45 mins to kick: You better believe all of Major League Soccer is looking to capitalize on Lionel Messi’s popularity in the United States. The New York Red Bulls are selling Messi-branded tshirts in the team store at Red Bull Arena, which is a bold move when he is today’s visiting opponent on their own turf. The optics of that aren’t great, but it’s likely not even the club’s decision, as it may have come from above, either straight from the league or via Adidas.

2 hours to kickoff: Today marks the start of what can only be described as a mountainous climb for Inter Miami. They sit dead last in the Eastern Conference table, with just 18 points on the board. They have not won a game since mid-May, going 11 straight matches without a win and just four points.

To reach the MLS playoffs, they must finish at least ninth, which is 14 points off in the distance. That doesn’t sound like an unattainable gap, but they only have 12 matches remaining. This means they must be nearly perfect and get significant help from outside sources. It’s not impossible, but realistically, Inter Miami must go unbeaten through the stretch, and probably needs to win most of those games as well.

NY Red Bulls vs Inter Miami lineups & team news

Injuries for the NY Red Bull squad to contend with include the loss of Dylan Nealis to core surgery, while Lewis Morgan is out with a similar problem. Kyle Duncan is missing due to yellow card accumulation after picking one up last time out in a substitute appearance. Cory Burke has been out with a hip issue but returns to make tonight’s bench.

Head coach Troy Lesesne has rotated his team constantly, making predicting their starting XI difficult, and this time he’s gone with a clogged five-man midfield. Frankie Amaya steps in as an additional body, in place of striker Dante Vanezir.

In the 1-0 win over D.C. United last time out, young USMNT prospect John Tolkin snatched an 88th minute winner to grab the three points and put more pressure on those around them in the playoff race, including Inter Miami.

RBNY starting lineup (4-5-1): Coronel (GK) — Harper, Reyes, S. Nealis, Tolkin — O. Fernandez, Edelman, Yearwood, Amaya, Luquinhas — Manoel.

RBNY subs (9): Meara (GK), Valencia, Nocita, Ndam, Stroud, Carmona, Cabezas, Barlow, Burke.

Gerardo Martino strongly hinted that players will need to be rotated throughout the next few matches, and it appears that will already take effect today, with Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets both not starting, instead listed amongst the substitutes. The two will still likely come off the bench, presumably for 20-30 minutes.

There are some other players who are likely candidates for rest. Thirty-two-year-old center-back Serhiy Kryvtsov took a beating in the U.S. Open Cup semifinal just days ago and is replaced by young Argentine Tomas Aviles. Jean Mota returned from injury but is not selected for this match, as Dixon Arroyo steps in for Busquets.

Leonardo Campana‘s two goals against FC Cincinnati earned him more starts up front, and Facundo Farias looked bright off the bench, earning him time in the attack.

Inter Miami starting lineup (3-5-2): Callender (GK) — Aviles, Miller, Allen — Taylor, D. Gomez, Arroyo, D. Ruiz, Alba — Campana, Farias.

Inter Miami subs (9): Dos Santos (GK), Yedlin, Sailor, Busquets, Cremaschi, R. Robinson, Messi, Stefanelli, J. Martinez.

How to watch NY Red Bulls vs Inter Miami

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NY Red Bulls vs Inter Miami betting odds & lines

Inter Miami have begun to show real signs of fatigue following the exhausting Leagues Cup and U.S. Open Cup schedule, and as a new-look team get set to attempt a truly challenging league comeback, Gerardo Martino has a real task on his hands to keep the players fresh despite the huge importance of each remaining game.

Still, Inter Miami managed to grind out draws with the best MLS has to offer, and the Red Bulls are not amongst that upper echelon. Sitting 11th in the league table, they profile as a team like the many Inter Miami shredded before eventually meeting their match against the league’s best sides.

	RBNY win	Draw	Inter Miami win	Both teams to score Y / N	Over / Under 2.5 goals	RBNY -0.5	MIA +0.5
BetMGM (USA)	+135	+260	+170	-175 / +125	-155 / +110	+125	-185
Sports Interaction (Canada)	2.38	3.79	2.56	1.53 / 2.19	1.69 / 2.14	2.27	1.61
Top Betting Sites (UK)	13/10	12/5	17/10	8/13, 6/5	7/10, 11/10	—	—
Unibet (Australia)	2.45	3.45	2.70	1.55 / 2.40	1.65 / 2.20	—	—
Dafabet (India)	2.37	3.65	2.80	1.59 / 2.32	—	—	—