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Lionel Messi had two goals and two assists to lead Inter Miami to a bounce- back 5-1 victory over the host New York Red Bulls on Saturday night in Harrison, N.J.
Messi and Inter Miami (12-4-5, 41 points) erased a 1-0 first-half deficit with a flurry of goals late in the first half — two of them coming off the foot of Telasco Segovia — that staked the Herons to a 3-1 halftime lead.
Miami won its sixth MLS match in its past seven after having a five-game winning streak snapped at FC Cincinnati on Wednesday. Messi saw the end of his MLS-record streak of five matches scoring multiple goals, only to record a brace on Saturday.
The Red Bulls (9-9-6, 33 points) failed to string together consecutive wins at home and lost to Inter Miami for the second time this season.
New York scored its lone goal in the 15th minute when Emil Forsberg lifted a corner kick in front of Miami goalkeeper Rocco Rios Novo’s line of sight. Alexander Hack then kicked it home for the score despite having defender Federico Redondo draped all over him.
Rios Novo made his second start this season for Oscar Ustari, who sat out with an injury.
Jordi Alba, who exited the game in the 84th minute with what appeared to be a leg cramp, scored his first goal of the season in MLS league play off a cross from Messi in the 24th minute to tie the game1-1.
Inter Miami took the lead for good in the 27th when Luis Suarez, who assisted on the first goal, sent a ball ahead to Messi, who then directed it quickly to Alba, who then crossed it back to Segovia for an easy shot into the back of the net.
In the third minute of first-half stoppage time, Redondo advanced the ball into the Red Bulls’ box but could not fire off a shot. Segovia, though, surged in and fired a shot off a rebound past Carlos Miguel Coronel for a third goal.
Messi followed with goals in the 60th and 75th minutes to seal the outcome.
Messi increased his total goals in MLS games to 18 this season and has contributed on 27 scores.
The Red Bulls mustered nine shots in the match, but they were outshot 8-1 in shots on target.

INDIANAPOLIS: The WNBA All-Stars wanted to send a clear message to the league on the game’s brightest stage.

All of the players on Team Clark and Team Collier warmed up for Saturday night’s WNBA All-Star Game in shirts that read “Pay us what you owe us.”

“We get a very tiny percentage of all the money that’s made through the WNBA, which obviously is made through the entertainment we provide,” said Napheesa Collier on the decision to wear the shirts. “So we want a fair and reasonable percentage of that.”

The idea was hatched Saturday morning at a players meeting.

The demonstration comes after the players and the league failed to reach a new collective bargaining agreement at an in-person meeting Thursday. The league’s players opted out of their last CBA in October, and are looking for a better revenue-sharing model, increased salaries, improved benefits and a softer salary cap.

After the failed negotiations, many players said there was a large discrepancy between what they wanted and what the league was offering. If a new CBA is not reached by October some players, including All-Stars Napheesa Collier and Angel Reese, have mentioned the potential of a walkout.

At the end of the game, chants of “Pay them!” broke out in the arena. Some fans held signs that read “Pay the players,” during the game.

“We had no idea that they were in solidarity with our demonstration,” said Nneka Ogwumike, president of the WNBPA. “I’ve been hearing it all weekend at the fan events, supporting us and wanting us to get our fair share of the value.”

This was potentially the last time that so many players would be together in one place before the season ends — a fact not lost on the union leadership.

“This is a perfect opportunity to raise awareness for what we’re doing and do it together,” Collier said.

The players aren’t decided whether they’ll wear the shirts on their own teams over the course of the second half of the season which begins Tuesday. They hope that fans will wear them as the union announced on social media during the game that the shirts were on sale.

Ogwumike was unaware that the shirts were already on sale.

“You put it out there, and you stand on business,” said Courtney Williams about the shirts. “And we’re standing on business.”