Messi, Suarez punish D.C. United in loss at Inter Miami: Match report

D.C. United has been on a run of late, competing with some of MLS's best sides to such an extent that they could be frustrated about not claiming an upset win. That was not the case on Saturday, as the Black-and-Red fell to a 4-0 loss at the hands of Inter Miami.

Luis Suárez notched a first-half brace before assisting Lionel Messi early in the second, while the Argentine legend got a double for himself with a scintillating dribble through the heart of United's defense.

D.C.'s upset bid couldn't have gotten off to a worse start, as Suárez scooped home a 3rd-minute opener. Play switched from right to left, where Sergio Reguilón's near-post cross found Germán Berterame for a flick-on.

The Mexico forward's header was more hopeful than anything else, but it floated to Suarez, who despite mis-hitting his volley ended up lobbing Sean Johnson to open the scoring.

United worried Miami several times with enterprise down the wings, but one quick ball in behind put Suárez into a dangerous position, only for Johnson to produce an 18th-minute reflex save.

The visitors were keeping Messi from getting too many touches, but the now ex-Argentina icon didn't need many to help create another Berterame-to-Suárez goal.

A lightning-quick combination prompted by Messi broke United open out of nowhere, and while Johnson blocked Messi's eventual low shot, the rebound looped to the back post, where Berterame's diving header teed Suárez up for a scrappy close-range finish.

In the immediate aftermath, United had two big threats come to nothing. First, D.C. thought there might be a penalty incoming after Matías Galarza kicked Hosei Kijima trying to clear a loose ball, but neither referee Lukasz Szpala nor VAR were moved to agree. Later, Jackson Hopkins briefly seemed to be in alone, but a heavy touch left him with too much ground to cover to get a shot away.

Miami wouldn't even need three minutes to score when play resumed, with Messi getting on the scoresheet. United blocked multiple efforts but couldn't clear, and Suárez was able to clip the ball back across goal, finding Messi for a glancing finish from seven yards.

Five minutes later, Johnson did brilliantly defy Suárez's bid for a hat trick, before Kimito Nono's 19-yard shot skipped wide of the bottom corner after D.C. countered.

Messi thumped another shot off the post after being set up by Rodrigo De Paul as United struggled to contain the legendary attacker as they had done for much of the first half.

It felt like Messi wanted more, and he would make it 4-0 on the hour mark with the kind of goal that for anyone else would be a career highlight. Receiving in a pocket, Messi weaved through traffic, dribbling through the heart of the D.C. defense before tucking a shot past Johnson with consummate ease.

Matti Peltola, having subbed on just before Messi's second, missed the top corner by a few inches as United continued to be restricted to set pieces and long-range attempts.

Messi and Berterame both missed on good looks to add a fifth, while United's best look at a consolation goal fell to Nathan Ordaz, who couldn't get solid contact on either of two shots in the late stages.

United (6-12-9) will have to shake off the loss to one of MLS's top sides, which leaves them further below the red line in the Eastern Conference playoff chase. The New York Red Bulls, sitting just three points ahead of the Black-and-Red, come to Audi Field Wednesday for a potentially critical chapter of the Atlantic Cup, with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.

Highlights will be added when they are made available.

Box score — MLS regular season (game 27)
10/10/2026

Inter Miami 4 (Suarez 3, 39; Messi 47, 60)
D.C. United 0

Lineups:
Miami (433): Dayne St. Clair; Gonzalo Luján, Casemiro, Micael (Maxi Falcón 70), Sergio Reguilón (Ian Fray 78); Rodrigo De Paul (Alexander Shaw 78), David Ayala (Telasco Segovia 70), Matías Galarza; Lionel Messi (C), Luis Suárez (Riquelme Fillipi 61), Germán Berterame

DCU (442): Sean Johnson; Kimito Nono, Lucas Bartlett (C), Kye Rowles, Keisuke Kurokawa; Hosei Kijima (Silvan Hefti 68), Nikola Markovic (Matti Peltola 56), Andre Dozzell (Brandon Servania 68), João Peglow (Jared Stroud 80); Tai Baribo, Jackson Hopkins (Nathan Ordaz 56)

Bookings:
Miami - None
DCU - None

Referee: Lukasz Szpala
Weather: Humid, overcast, 84°
Attendance: Will add once I get it