Messi assists both Miami goals in 2-2 MLS draw with Atlanta after international retirement

Messi returns to MLS action with two assists one day after international retirement

Lionel Messi set up both Inter Miami goals in a 2-2 Major League Soccer draw with Atlanta United on Saturday, his first club appearance since announcing his retirement from international football with Argentina. The match at Miami was delayed 90 minutes by thunderstorms and lightning, and once play began the Argentina captain was at the center of the action despite a day of swirling off-field news.

Casemiro and Suárez convert Miami's chances

Brazilian midfielder Casemiro headed home a Messi corner in the 32nd minute to give Miami the lead, and Luis Suárez added a second before the interval. Suárez finished off a move down the left started by Messi and, according to one account, was set up by Telasco Segovia after Messi lofted a pass into the area, with the striker's right-footed shot from the center of the box counting as his 12th goal of the season. Atlanta responded quickly when former Newcastle United forward Miguel Almirón blasted in a low shot three minutes after Miami's opener.

Embolo levels from the spot for Atlanta

Swiss striker Breel Embolo converted an 87th-minute penalty to secure Atlanta a share of the points and deny Miami a home win. The result left Inter Miami second in the MLS Eastern Conference, 10 points behind first-place Nashville with 11 regular-season matches remaining.

Other MLS results on the same night

Elsewhere around the league on Saturday, Derrick Etienne scored two minutes into second-half stoppage time to complete a wild 4-4 draw for Toronto against Chicago, a game in which Josh Sargent bagged a hat trick for the hosts and Chicago's Maren Haile-Selassie scored twice before an own goal and a Robert Lewandowski strike put the visitors 4-3 up. Philadelphia beat Montreal 2-0 with 16-year-old Cavan Sullivan scoring in the 75th minute, giving him four goals and seven assists this season and surpassing Freddy Adu's 2005 mark of 10 scoring contributions by a 16-year-old. In Orlando, Antoine Griezmann's 28th-minute goal earned a 1-0 home win over San Diego, while Guilherme Biro's seventh-minute second-half stoppage-time strike earned Austin a 1-1 draw at San Jose.