An emotional night in Fort Lauderdale

Lionel Messi "demonstrated what he is made of" with an emotional, unexpected return to action for Inter Miami on Wednesday night, just days after the death of his father, Jorge, on August 8. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner had been on a post-World Cup break after reaching the final with Argentina, who lost 1-0 to Spain on July 19, but he came off the bench and nearly dragged the Herons back into their Leagues Cup clash with Club Leon.

Despite a 3-2 defeat in Fort Lauderdale, Messi showed little sign of rust or heartbreak: he recorded the joint-most shots among Miami players (five), registered the most attempts on target (three), created the second-most chances (four) and completed two of his three dribbles.

Club Leon coach Javier Gandolfi, whose side eliminated Miami from the competition, paid a heartfelt tribute to the Argentine icon in his post-match remarks.

"He is a player that as far as I can tell, is the best player in history," said Gandolfi. "He's the best player in history, inside the pitch, and also with some other actions I would see at a distance. Today he demonstrated once more what he's made of. He is a human being that is different to the rest."

Inter Miami head coach Guillermo Hoyos, who lost his own father, offered a deeply personal reflection on what Messi is enduring.

"I've always said that this is a very painful thing and it sometimes takes a long time. When I lost my father, it was hard. He was my guide. I needed him in many cases and I felt alone," Hoyos said. "It's a big blow in a man's life, for an extraordinary man and an extraordinary family. So it's a very painful thing."

Miami turn to top-of-the-table showdown

With Miami eliminated from the Leagues Cup, attention now turns to a huge MLS clash on Saturday as the Herons visit Nashville SC in a meeting between the top two sides in the standings. Nashville sit two points clear of Miami at the summit.

Players to watch

Nashville SC - Sam Surridge: Surridge has scored 35 regular-season goals over the last two campaigns, the second-most by any MLS player in that time, behind Messi's 41. He needs one more goal to become the second player to reach 50 regular-season goals with Nashville, after Hany Mukhtar (88).

Inter Miami - Luis Suarez: Suarez has scored seven goals over his last four MLS matches, scoring at least once in all four. Prior to that stretch, Suarez had scored just once in his previous 16 regular-season matches dating back to the beginning of last October.

Match prediction: Nashville win

Miami may have Messi back, but Opta's predictive model is backing Nashville to edge out a victory in front of their home crowd. Nashville and Miami have met 21 times across all competitions since both clubs joined MLS for the 2020 season (Miami W9, Nashville W5, D7) — the only fixture involving MLS teams with more meetings since the start of 2020 is Vancouver Whitecaps versus Los Angeles FC (23).

Nashville have taken 25 points in their first nine home MLS matches this season (W8 D1), outscoring opponents 25-9 in those contests. Over the last 25 seasons, Nashville are the seventh MLS team with 25+ points through nine home games, and the previous six all won their 10th home match of the season.

Miami, meanwhile, started the 2026 regular season with a 3-0 loss at LAFC but have been undefeated on the road in league play since (W8 D1). The Herons have won six straight away matches in MLS play as they look to tie the competition record for the longest road winning streak in regular-season history (done five times).

Opta win probability: Nashville SC 43% | Draw 23.8% | Inter Miami 33.2%