D.C. United loses to Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami on stoppage-time goal

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — As the tropical rain fell and Chase Stadium’s surface slickened Saturday, D.C. United’s first encounter with Lionel Messi became an exercise in tactical discipline and opportunistic forays.

Messi, the Argentine wonder enjoying an MVP-caliber campaign for Inter Miami, was the pink-clad center of attention. United, though, executed its plan to perfection, not only neutralizing Messi but creating superior scoring chances and threatening to swipe three points against MLS’s top team.