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Inter Miami survives wild match to win 2024 MLS Supporters' Shield
Inter Miami won the 2024 Supporters' Shield — the annual trophy for the best regular-season record in Major League Soccer — on Wednesday by beating the Columbus Crew 3-2. It's Miami's second trophy of the Lionel Messi era after winning the Leagues Cup in the summer of 2023.
It was a wild match full of refereeing controversy. Columbus started the first half well, with captain Darlington Nagbe bossing the midfield and taking full advantage of Miami's errant passes. Striker Cucho Hernandez even put the ball into Miami's net with a stunning shot from the far touchline, though the goal was rightfully denied thanks to an offside call in build-up play. But Columbus's momentum came to a shuddering halt when Miami's Sergio Busquets felled Columbus's Mo Farsi with a strong challenge around the 30th minute. Replays showed that Busquets threw the studs of his cleats into the top of Farsi's thigh — a clear yellow card, and a potential red — but Busquets went unpunished for the offense. Farsi was able to continue, but the moment shook Columbus, and the team was unable to find its rhythm for the remainder of the half.
Miami was all too happy to take advantage of that confusion. Jordi Alba fed Lionel Messi a direct ball in the Columbus penalty area, and Messi slotted it past Columbus goalkeeper Patrick Schulte to make it 1-0. He followed that up by scoring a stellar free kick moments later.
MESSIIIIIIIIII!!!
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) October 3, 2024
Messi magic again to get his brace. pic.twitter.com/tqT4Md1ydO
Messi's contributions were a fitting way for Miami to take home the Shield. After firing Miami through the first few games of the season, Messi missed much of the summer schedule, and his teammates carried Miami's Shield challenge admirably in his absence. Messi's two goals against Columbus felt like a formal "Thank you" for the team's efforts during his long injury spell.
The game kicked into high gear in the second half, with Columbus scoring within seconds of the restart only to concede moments later and settle the game at 3-1. Miami then conceded a penalty, allowing Columbus to bring the game to 3-2.
Cucho buries the penalty. It's 2-3 in Columbus. Not over yet!
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) October 3, 2024
#MLSSeasonPass: https://t.co/NOIvMMOv9n pic.twitter.com/RUHikH2ztd
But Columbus couldn't get out of its own way. It went down to ten men seconds after scoring when defender Rudy Camacho received a second yellow card. It was a fair call on merit, but after Busquets received nothing for his far more dangerous challenge in the first half, Columbus fans were right to feel aggrieved by the inconsistency.
At the end of the match, though, Columbus had only itself to blame for losing the game and the Shield. The team is generally consistent, calm and reliable, but it made several uncharacteristic errors on the night that cost it dearly. From the early goal concessions to Camacho's yellow card to Cucho's penalty miss deep into the second half, Miami didn't win this game: Columbus lost it.
That won't matter to the Miami faithful. A trophy is a trophy, after all, and this is the second one the club has lifted since Messi arrived last summer. The MLS Cup playoffs await; Miami remains the favorite to lift that one, too.
More must-reads:
- Watch: Facundo Torres makes club history in Orlando City win
- Watch: Erik Sviatchenko's 68th-minute goal lifts Dynamo past Revolution
- The 'MLB mascot names' quiz
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TODAY'S BEST
Bears GM speaks out after superstar goes down with injury
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Rangers Sign Former Stanley Cup Champion to Tryout Agreement
The New York Rangers are adding to their forward depth ahead of their upcoming training camp. The Rangers are entering a new chapter of their organization under new head coach Mike Sullivan. After missing the postseason last year, the organization is trying to rebound and respond accordingly in 2025 and 2026. Former Stanley Cup champion forward Conor Sheary is the latest player to join the new-look Rangers. The veteran forward agreed to a professional tryout agreement (PTO) with the club and will look to earn an NHL deal with his performance in training camp and the preseason. Sheary is a veteran of 593 NHL games. Originally an undrafted free agent, he signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins after completing his collegiate career. Following a year with the Penguins' AHL affiliate, he forced his way onto the NHL squad after posting 36 points in his first 30 games of the 2015-2016 season at the AHL level. His debut NHL season went better than ever expected, and he was a key part of the Penguins' lineup that won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017. Sheary's coach at the time, both at the AHL and NHL levels, was Mike Sullivan. Now, he'll get the chance to reunite with the coach under whom he won two championships. In addition to playing for the Penguins, Sheary has played for three other NHL franchises. The Pens dealt him to the Buffalo Sabres before the 2018-2019 campaign, but he would return to Pittsburgh the following season at the trade deadline. After his second stint with the Penguins, he joined the Washington Capitals. He played three seasons in Washington, D.C. before landing with the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he spent the past two years. Over his 593 career games, he's compiled 124 goals and 143 assists for 267 points. His best NHL season came during the 2016-2017 campaign, his second in the league. He scored 23 goals and added 30 assists for 53 points in 61 regular-season games.
Bruins' David Pastrnak Calls Out Canadiens' Juraj Slafkovsky: He Just Lacks Humility'
Juraj Slafkovsky is one of the most promising players in the NHL, but now he has been called out by David Pastrnak, who stated he lacks humility. After being picked No. 1 overall in 2022 NHL Draft, expectations were high in Montreal for young star Juraj Slafkovsky, and thus far, he's shown glimpses of being the elite level player many expected when he entered the National Hockey League. However, there are still some major steps to go, and in a recent interview, Boston Bruins star David Pastrnak pointed out perhaps one area where the 21-year old may need to improve moving forward. When asked about Slafkovsky and his potential, Pastrnak gave nothing but a glowing review of the young Canadiens star, but he did note that he believes Slafkovsky needs more humility. 'He's still a young player who is gaining experience in the NHL every year. This season it was already clear that he gave the team more than before...He just needs a little more humility, he should set an example for the young ones.' On the ice, there's no doubting that Slafkovsky has the presence, the size and the talent to be a true star, posting 101 total points over the past two seasons, but for whatever reason, it appears as though Pastrnak believes he needs to improve off the ice before he can take a major leap in Montreal. Ultimately, the talent is still there for Slafkovsky, and at 21-years old, he'll continue to learn off the ice, and if he can go anywhere close to living up to the potential that he's shown in his first three years at the NHL level, there's no doubt that he can be a big time star and help lead the Canadiens to significant post-season success.
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