Inter Miami’s arduous, taxing preseason made its final stop on Thursday as Lionel Messi took the field against his boyhood club Newell’s Old Boys in a 1-1 draw.
Messi started the match and went 60 minutes, coming up empty in his two big chances to score, but putting on a show in a match that meant much more than just the final score. The Argentine club is where it all began for Messi, joining the team that hails from his hometown in Rosario at just six years old.
Still, there were 90 minutes of football to enjoy, and Shanyder Borgelin made the most of his substitute appearance to put Inter Miami in front just past the hour mark. The hosts were the better side through the entire first half and most of the second half, but couldn’t finish a number of chances.
Eventually, Inter Miami were done in by their trademark defensive woes, with an awful giveaway in midfield leading to an equalizer with seven minutes remaining on the clock.
Inter Miami now gear up for their MLS season-opener against Real Salt Lake next Wednesday, looking to keep their aging stars healthy for a run towards the playoffs and beyond.
The Sporting News followed the Inter Miami vs Newell’s Old Boys match live, providing score updates, commentary and highlights as they happened.
Inter Miami vs Newell’s Old Boys final score
Score | Goal scorers | |
Inter Miami | 1 | Borgelin (64′) |
Newell’s Old Boys | 1 | F. Diaz (83′) |
Kickoff: 7:42 p.m. ET / 4:42 p.m. PT
Location: DRV PNK Stadium (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)
Referee: Rubiel Vazquez (USA)
Starting lineups:
Inter Miami (4-3-3, right to left): 1. Callender (GK) — 2. Yedlin, 6. Aviles (Sailor, 77′), 21. Friere (Allen, 46′), 18. Alba (Boatwright, 72′) — 41. Ruiz, 42. Bright (Mota, 72′), 24. Gressel (Taylor, 46′) — 10. Messi (Sunderland, 60′), 9. Suarez (Campana, 60′), 20. Gomez (Borgelin, 60′).
Newell’s Old Boys (4-2-3-1, right to left): 1. Hoyos (GK) — 4. Schott (Mendez, 79′), 2. J. Fernandez (F. Diaz, 65′), 37. Glavinovich (G. Velazquez, 46′), 16. Calderara (Martino, 79′) — 10. Banega (Miljevic, 32′ — Jaime, 79′), 21. Vangioni (Jacob, 65′) — 47. Balzi (E. Fernandez, 46′), 8. P. Perez (R. Fernandez, 46′), 18. Aguirre (Chiaverano, 46′) — 99. I. Ramirez (Tica, 46′).
Inter Miami vs Newell’s Old Boys live updates, highlights, commentary
FULLTIME: Inter Miami 1-1 Newell’s Old Boys
It’s a positive performance from Inter Miami against an Argentine side not expected to challenge for the title but in good form to start the season. Everything worked against Newell’s today, including travel, rest time, and a lot of other intangibles, but they came to play and did their part for today’s spectacle.
It’s a shame that Lionel Messi couldn’t find the scoresheet with a few good chances, but all in all, a positive end to a rocky preseason for Inter Miami, with their season-opener in six days. The start of the MLS season is nearly here! What will Lionel Messi have to offer over a full campaign?
Inter Miami vs Newell’s Old Boys: Second Half
89th min: With the game winding down, Robert Taylor wins a foul by Gustavo Velazquez just outside the top of the penalty area. Lionel Messi would love to be on the field to take this free-kick, but he came off after an hour, so it’s Taylor who lines up for the hit, but he sends his curler well over the crossbar.
Three minutes of stoppage time are shown.
83rd min: GOAL! NEWELL’S OLD BOYS! Inter Miami are punished for a horrible giveaway at the back! Too soft a layoff from Jean Mota sees Lawson Sunderland give it away, and Franco Diaz pounces to even the match!
80th min: Chance, Inter Miami! Leonardo Campana is clean through on goal but smothered by Newell’s goalkeeper Lucas Hoyos! He’s sprung free by Shanyder Borgelin, but takes too long to make a decision about how to go for goal.
76th min: Now Tomas Aviles is down, looking a bit dazed after an aerial duel. He’s up after a bit of treatment, but Tata Martino is taking no chances with anyone in preseason, and Ryan Sailor will enter in his place. Newell’s make three changes as well during the stoppage.
67th min: There’s an unfortunate moment as young Yannick Bright, who’s been very good tonight in what seems to be an audition of sorts for the first round draft pick out of University of New Hampshire, is down injured. They’re working on his right knee and he’s wincing in pain.
Bright will be replaced by Jean Mota as he limps off the field. It doesn’t appear to be terribly serious, but it will be of some concern. Israel Boatwright also enters for Jordi Alba.
64th min: GOAL! INTER MIAMI! Just minutes after Lionel Messi exits, the hosts go in front! Shanyder Borgelin picks out the opener shortly after coming on, heading home a corner at the back post. It’s a powerful leap from the big tall striker, and he nods it across the face of goal with the goalkeeper caught in no-man’s land.
Big ups Borgelin🗣️👊
Taylor serves one into Borgelin from the corner for the first of the night to give us the lead#IMCFvNOB | 1-0 pic.twitter.com/dyL0y7x4Hi
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) February 16, 2024
62nd min: David Ruiz is the first player of the match booked, as he drags back an opponent who looked to counter-attack with numbers and pace.
59th min: Lionel Messi touches wide at the near post, as he got it from a short corner and cut down the end line but couldn’t get his tight-angle effort on target.
The second half has been a lot slower and sleepier than the exciting first half was. That could get worse, as Lionel Messi exits alongside Luis Suarez and Julian Gressel. Inter Miami bring on Lawson Sunderland, Leonardo Campana, and Shanyder Borgelin in their place.
Sadly, it appears we will not see Messi in a Newell’s Old Boys shirt, as he comes off and takes a seat on the bench. It would be difficult to see him get cold and then come back on later.
Leo Messi jugó 60’.
Se viene el debut por la MLS:
Inter Miami vs Real Salt Lake el próximo miércoles. pic.twitter.com/cJQ6cgVLou— Gastón Edul (@gastonedul) February 16, 2024
51st min: Chance, Newell’s Old Boys! The visitors come so close to opening the scoring, but Drake Callender makes a great save on the initial shot, and there’s nobody there to put the rebound home as the ball skitters nervously across the mouth of goal!
It’s Giovani Chiaverano who has the initial attempt from the right, and Callender dives full-stretch to meet it with the palm of his right hand. The ball falls to Esteban Fernandez, but it hits the halftime substitute right in the chest and he can’t bungle it home past a scrambling Callender. The best chance yet for Newell’s Old Boys!
Kickoff: They’re back under way in DRV PNK Stadium, and while Inter Miami have remained largely unchanged as they build full match fitness for their season opener next week, Newell’s Old Boys have submitted wholesale changes. The only swaps for the hosts see Noah Allen come in for debutant Nicolas Friere, while Robert Taylor replaces Diego Gomez who is fresh off his Olympic qualifying journey.
Lionel Messi takes a photo opportunity with Newell’s Old Boys legend Maxi Rodriguez and Inter Miami coach Tata Martino before the start of the half.
🇦🇷 Argentina x @Newells legends 🇦🇷
Messi x Maxi Rodríguez x Tata Martino pic.twitter.com/9SVxkCeDj4
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) February 16, 2024
HALFTIME: Inter Miami 0-0 Newell’s Old Boys
A long and arduous preseason tour saw Inter Miami complete 23,000 miles of travel around the globe, and they looked as exhausted as you’d expect them to be throughout the journey.
Now back home at DRV PNK Stadium in their final preseason match before the campaign begins, Inter Miami look much better. Sure, it’s come against a mediocre Argentine club which played a game three days ago before traveling a long way to meet them, but regardless, they look much better.
Inter Miami should be ahead by two or three goals, but Diego Gomez came up empty with his two big chances, while Lionel Messi also should have scored after a trademark run through the heart of the Newell’s Old Boys defense.
This is a fun occasion, and it’s been a good match, but no goals yet by the break, and it’s likely there will be copious amounts of substitutions from here on out to break up the second half.
Inter Miami vs Newell’s Old Boys: First Half
45th min: Lionel Messi tries for an Olimpico from the corner not once, but twice, but the Newell’s Old Boys goalkeeper is up to the task on both occasions. The second one was extremely dangerous, but Lucas Hoyos did well to catch it right before sneaking under the crossbar.
41st min: Chance, Inter Miami! Diego Gomez fires over with another great chance! The game has opened up into an end-to-end explosion, and Lionel Messi runs a counter which sees him lay off to Gomez to his left. He fires over the crossbar with a first-time shot, and while it’s not quite the wide-open opportunity he had a few minutes prior, he still absolutely should be at least hitting the target from there.
38th min: After a foul in midfield, Lionel Messi takes aim with a free-kick from about 27 yards out, but bends his effort just wide of the left post. Not far off, but never seemed to really have a chance.
31st min: Chance, Inter Miami! LIONEL MESSI MISSES THE OPENER! The world’s best player gets on roller skates and glides by no less than four defenders in a mazy run only Leo Messi can make. He gets onto his favored left foot at the top of the six-yard box, and with only the finish, he misses wide of the left post with a curler!
You would expect him to finish that off 99 times out of 100, but he comes up short instead.
In the aftermath, Newell’s Old Boys make the first substitution of the match, withdrawing 35-year-old Ever Banega and bringing on former CF Montreal player Matko Miljevic.
29th min: Chance, Newell’s Old Boys! WHAT A SAVE DRAKE CALLENDER! Ignacio Ramirez, who won the Uruguayan league Golden Boot last season and has five goals in the club’s first five games with his new club, latches onto a vertical ball at full speed. He’s clean through on goal and looks to finish with a flick to the far post, but Callender gets down to his left to make the reflex save!
That’s a stunning stop! Callender will be heavily leaned on this season, it feels like.
28th min: Newell’s Old Boys have their first shot on Drake Callender’s frame, but it takes a big deflection which feeds the ball right into the goalkeeper’s waiting arms.
22nd min: Chance, Inter Miami! Luis Suarez goes down to the turf under pressure from a trailing defender, who gets no touch on the ball whatsoever. The contact is minimal but it’s late and makes very little play on the ball.
VAR is in place for this friendly, in part to help get the officials ready for the season just like the players. VAR recommends referee Rubiel Vazquez go take a look at the monitor, but he decides to stick with his own call! Vazquez announces the decision over the stadium PA, which is new for this season.
18th min: Chance, Inter Miami! DIEGO GOMEZ WHIFFS WITH THE GOAL GAPING! DeAndre Yedlin gets a cross in from deep down the right flank, and the delivery is pinpoint right to the feet of Gomez right at the penalty spot, but he tries to meet it first-time by swinging his foot at the ball and whiffs very badly, barely making contact at all. A pair of very big chances have fizzled out for Inter Miami so far today — given their defensive struggles, they will need to take every opportunity afforded to them this MLS season, and misses like that will be damaging if they pile up.
12th min: Newell’s Old Boys have their first sustained spell of possession in the attacking half, but they have little room to operate, unable to find anything but the lateral back-and-forth between Ever Banega and Pablo Perez in midfield.
Eventually they work a cross to the far post from left-back Brian Calderara but it’s way over the head of its intended target.
11th min: Lionel Messi feeds Diego Gomez right up the gut, but the Paraguayan international was marked well on the run and he can’t get a good shot off, barely stretching to get a slight touch on the ball before the goalkeeper clears the ball off his line.
7th min: Inter Miami have done well to control the early portion of this match, holding nearly all the meaningful possession. First round SuperDraft pick Yannick Bright, who is still officially unsigned, is looking…well…bright in midfield to help keep control of the ball.
2nd min: Chance, Inter Miami! An early first corner for Inter Miami, with Julian Gressel to take it short to Lionel Messi. He floats a cross all the way across to Tomas Aviles, who makes a vertical run and gets space for a very high quality cross around his defender. It comes to the head of debutant Nicolas Friere who heads wide of the near post!
Friere was wide open and has to be putting that on target, it’s a huge moment that goes begging for Inter Miami!
Kickoff: They’re under way at DRV PNK Stadium! Lionel Messi gets a chance to play against his boyhood club, and maybe, just maybe, will wear their jersey for a few minutes at the end as well. Either way, it’s a great moment to pay tribute to the legendary player as Inter Miami gear up for their first competitive match of the season in six days.
The match will be officiated by 33-year-old Rubiel Vazquez, who has been an MLS official since his debut in 2017.
The starters..Inter Miami vs Newell’s Old Boys. @MiamiHerald @HeraldSports @InterMiamiCF #Messi𓃵 #InterMiamiCF #MLS #Newells pic.twitter.com/VOzYhBplCm
— Michelle Kaufman (@kaufsports) February 16, 2024
Inter Miami vs Newell’s Old Boys: Pre-match commentary, analysis, stats, and more
15 mins to kickoff: The Newell’s Old Boys lineup is in, and it’s a strong one as Lionel Messi’s boyhood club pays tribute to the kid from Rosario who would become the greatest to play the game!
Messi’s former Argentina teammate Ever Banega is in the XI, as is Ignacio Ramirez, the team’s new No. 9 and current leading scorer just five games into the new season.
30 mins to kickoff: If you’re wondering why Gregore isn’t the one to start at the No. 6 with Sergio Busquets out injured, there’s a reason why. Reports in Brazil claim the 29-year-old is returning to his home country, signing with Botafogo — which was confirmed by U.S. reporter Franco Panizo shortly after.
Gregore was the club captain before Lionel Messi arrived, and is a very important part of the Inter Miami depth chart, but could be one of the casualties of their roster compliance issues. He missed most of last season with a broken foot, and it showed. Gregore will net Inter Miami approximately $ 2.7 million in transfer fee, but it’s his salary they most need to get rid of to get under the MLS cap.
Botafogo encaminha contratação de Gregore, do Inter Miami ➡ https://t.co/8v0Ihq8GyK
📷 Getty Images
— ge (@geglobo) February 15, 2024
45 mins to kickoff: Now we have Inter Miami’s starting lineup, and sure enough Lionel Messi starts against his boyhood club, with Luis Suarez through the middle of the attack. Inter Miami’s social media lineup lists Diego Gomez as the left winger, with Julian Gressel in midfield, but those two will likely swap places often as Gressel is a wide player at heart.
It’s a first start for new signing Nicolas Friere in central defense alongside Tomas Aviles, as the Argentine looks to be a key player for the club this coming season. He signed just before the team departed for its long preseason tour around the globe and therefore he didn’t see the field as they traveled across Asia.
1 hour to kickoff: No lineups for this match yet (Inter Miami are notoriously terrible about releasing their lineup an hour before the match begins), but we do know that Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez have arrived at DRV PNK Stadium! Messi is expected to start, said Tata Martino in his pre-match availability over the past few days.
Lucho y Leo, listos para Inter Miami vs. Newell’s. pic.twitter.com/CtSfYs4uia
— SportsCenter (@SC_ESPN) February 15, 2024
1 hour 15 mins to kick: Looking ahead to the regular season starting next Wednesday, there was a report from Tom Bogert of The Athletic on Wednesday that Inter Miami have significant work to do to be roster compliant for the start of the season.
While there are many levers teams can pull to be roster compliant, the fact remains that MLS boasts a hard salary cap, and Inter Miami apparently have a problem with getting under that number. Bogert’s report quotes one unnamed rival executive who says of Inter Miami “they’re screwed, trust me.” It seems their already thin roster will have to get even thinner, which seems to be the cost of signing so many high-profile and expensive players.
Charles Boehm followed that up today with quotes from MLS executive Todd Durbin who says he believes Inter Miami “will be compliant” by their opening match, but his comments seem to make it pretty clear that they are not there yet. It’s a bit dire for Inter Miami as they prepare for a season of very high expectations.
On Inter Miami: Sources across the league say the club desperately need to shed salary/add GAM.
Sources say that Gregore, Jean Mota, DeAndre Yedlin, Robert Taylor & Sergii Kryvtsov are available.
“They are screwed,” said one rival exec. “Trust me.”https://t.co/MByC7dV5y3
— Tom Bogert (@tombogert) February 14, 2024
1 hour 30 mins to kick: The founder of sports auction and scrapbook app AC Momento, John Brennan, announced on Twitter that he purchased a piece of Lionel Messi history for $ 180,000 three years ago that is extremely relevant for tonight’s match.
Brennan owns Messi’s membership card from his time at Newell’s Old Boys, which he claims contains the oldest known signature from the Argentine superstar. Messi played for the club from ages six to 13, so that would certainly make sense. A pair of photographs shared by Brennan on social media show the card, which does not have a date but does contain a headshot of a very young Lionel Messi.
For us, this membership card is priceless. Why?
– It’s a 1 of 1 that Messi carried with him every day, versus 1 of 19 (PSA 10) cards made by Panini.
– It features his earliest known autograph.
– It represents Chapter 1 in the story of of the greatest of all-time. 🐐4/4 pic.twitter.com/FKw3uNwXLr
— John Brennan (@brennanjp) February 15, 2024
1 hour 45 mins to kick: Newell’s Old Boys are often referred to by the nickname “the Lepers,” which sure is an odd one! They earned this nickname after playing in a charity match for leprosy victims back in the 1920’s, and it just happened to stick.
Doesn’t matter where, the Lepers will be there! 🚩🏴
pic.twitter.com/6aXE92GjWc
— Newell’s Old Boys (@NewellsEnglish) February 15, 2024
2 hours to kickoff: Inter Miami head coach Tata Martino confirmed that Lionel Messi will start this match as the regular season nears. He stated that Messi suffered adductor inflammation earlier in preseason, which limited his minutes in previous games, but he’s healed now and needs game time.
Now, there are many wondering on social media whether Messi will switch sides during the friendly and play a few minutes for his boyhood club Newell’s Old Boys. It seems some of the speculation has come from quotes from Newell’s midfielder Ever Banega — a former Argentina teammate of Messi’s — who simply said: “I hope Lionel can wear the Newell’s shirt.” Us too! It sure would be fun to see.
Lionel Messi is set to return to Inter Miami’s starting lineup for its final preseason game against his boyhood club Newell’s Old Boys on Thursday, Tata Martino confirmed 🇦🇷
Imagine we see him throw on the NOB kit for a couple of minutes 🤯
📸: @InterMiamiCF pic.twitter.com/1lKjkrCxul
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) February 14, 2024
Inter Miami vs Newell’s Old Boys lineups, team news
Inter Miami head coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino confirmed that Lionel Messi will start this match as the club look to get him minutes ahead of the MLS season, but Sergio Busquets will be held out as a precaution.
Busquets suffered an ankle injury in the most recent friendly against Vissel Kobe in Japan, and while Martino said he could have played if this had been the season opener, he will be rested to keep him fit for when the competitive matches do begin. Yannick Bright starts in midfield with Busquets out injured.
Twenty-year-old midfielder Diego Gomez has returned from duty with Paraguay Under-23s in Olympic qualifying and he starts in midfield, while Benja Cremaschi is out for another month or two with a knee injury and Facundo Farias is out for the season with an ACL tear. New signing Nicolas Freire gets his first start in the Inter Miami defensive line.
Inter Miami starting lineup (4-3-3): Callender (GK) — Yedlin, Aviles, Friere, Alba — Ruiz, Bright, Gressel — Messi, Suarez, Gomez.
Inter Miami subs (11): Dos Santos (GK), Jensen (GK), Allen, Sailor, Boatwright, Hall, Mota, Sunderland, Taylor, Borgelin, Campana.
The only Newell’s Old Boys player who isn’t available for the match is full-back Jherson Mosquera who is serving a doping ban and has returned to his home country of Colombia to see out his suspension.
European football fans will recognize the name Ever Banega, who played for Valencia, Atletico Madrid, Sevilla, and Inter Milan through his club journey and is now back home in his native Argentina to finish out his career at 35 years old.
The brightest star at the club is 21-year-old winger Brian Aguirre who is a significant contributor to the Argentina youth international team. He has a goal and assist for the side so far, five matches into the new league season. Their leading scorer is Ignacio Ramirez who signed this winter from Uruguayan club Nacional and has logged an impressive five goals through the first five games.
Newell’s Old Boys starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Hoyos (GK) — Schott, J. Fernandez, Glavinovich, Calderara — Banega, Vangioni — Balzi, P. Perez, Aguirre — I. Ramirez.
Newell’s Old Boys subs (14): Macagno (GK), Jacob, Velazquez, Mendez, Martino, R. Fernandez, Miljevic, Cacciabue, Schor, F. Diaz, Jaime, Tica, May, Chiaverano.
How to watch Inter Miami vs Newell’s Old Boys
The match between Lionel Messi’s current club Inter Miami and his boyhood side Newell’s Old Boys will be available globally on MLS Season Pass from Apple TV.
MLS Season Pass is the home of every Inter Miami match throughout the 2024 MLS season as well as the Leagues Cup and MLS Cup playoffs.