LIONEL MESSI’S GOAL NOT ENOUGH AS INTER MIAMI FACES NASHVILLE DEFICIT
Lionel Messi scored his 27th goal, but Inter Miami lost 2-1 to Nashville SC in the regular-season finale. Messi leads the Golden Boot race as the playoffs begin next week.
On Saturday night's regular-season finale between Inter Miami and Nashville SC, Lionel Messi had every cause to be fired up as he took the pitch at Geodis Park.
The No. 2 Eastern Conference playoff spot was up for grabs for his squad.
Personally, the Argentine icon was the front-runner to earn back-to-back MVP awards, making him the first player in MLS history to achieve this feat. Additionally, he was almost certain to win the MLS Golden Boot trophy.
In the 34th minute, he gave Inter Miami a 1-0 lead with a well-placed left-footed strike that grazed the inside of the net, increasing his chances of winning both trophies. However, Nashville led 2-1 at the half thanks to goals from Sam Surridge and Jacob Shaffelburg, and it was Miami's only attempt on goal during the first half.
With 12 first-half shots to four, including six on target, Nashville dominated right away. Miami's defence appeared weak, and if it were not for three crucial saves by Rocco Rios Novo, who started in goal for Inter Miami for the third consecutive game after Oscar Ustari left, the score would have been more lopsided.
Messi scored his 27th goal of the year. He led Surridge by three goals in the Golden Boot race going into the match, and he was ahead of Denis Bouanga of Los Angeles FC by two goals.
Messi has the advantage on both tiebreakers, which are assists and the fewest minutes played, even if Bouanga or Surridge were to tie him. Messi had played 2,330 minutes and had 18 assists, which equalled the most in MLS. Bouanga played 2,569 minutes and contributed eight assists. Surridge played 2,850 minutes and contributed five assists.
"It would be great if we could assist Leo in winning the Golden Boot," Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano stated before the match. "We will make every effort to assist him in his attempt to win that."
If that was not enough to ignite a fire under Messi, it was the final regular-season match he would play with teammates Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets of FC Barcelona, who both declared in recent weeks that they would be retiring at the end of the current campaign.
Along with Luis Suarez, who played with them at Barcelona, Messi, Busquets, and Alba are great friends, and they would be thrilled to win the MLS Cup together.
Ríos Novo, right back Marcelo Weigandt, centre back Maxi Falcon, centre back Gonzalo Lujan, midfielder Rodrigo De Paul, midfielder Tadeo Allende, and midfielder Baltasar Rodriguez were among the four players who started on Saturday.
Rios Novo, 23, started for the third consecutive game after taking over for Oscar Ustari, 39, who started for most of the season. This season, Ríos Novo has participated in nine games, and Miami has won all of them.
Mascherano trusted Ríos Novo because of his recent performances. He recorded a clean sheet in a 4-0 victory over Atlanta United and gave up one goal in a 4-1 win over the New England Revolution.
In the opening 20 minutes of the game against Nashville, he was put to the test and had to make three huge stops, including one from Surridge that Rios Novo dove to save with his outstretched fingertips.
Following the Atlanta game, Mascherano was questioned regarding the goalie situation. "Rocco had a very excellent game," he stated. He got called up and did a great job. Increasing healthy internal competition at every level is crucial for us. It is then my duty to determine what I believe to be the greatest for each game. Having this problem is a positive thing.
Ustari agreed to a contract extension with Inter Miami in May, which would keep him employed until the 2026 campaign and guarantee him $744,000 this year.
Rios Novo joined the team in January with a guaranteed compensation of $122,866 and a base salary of $104,000.
With just three points separating them from the three teams below them in the rankings, Nashville started the evening in sixth place in the East.
Due to its greater number of victories, Nashville had an advantage over the Columbus Crew, who were in ninth position. Nashville would lose to the play-in game if Orlando City and Chicago Fire were to surpass them.
Miami and Nashville would play each other again in the first round of the playoffs, a three-game series that would start next weekend with a home game at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, if the regular season ended with them in their current places.
THE HIDDEN MATH BEHIND FIFA’S $33,000 WORLD CUP FINAL TICKET PRICE SURGE
Gianni Infantino defends $32,970 ticket prices at the Milken Institute, citing the US market as the world's most developed.
FIFA just tripled the price of its top tickets for the World Cup final, now charging $32,970 for the best seats at the July 19 match at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. On Thursday, those front-row “category 1” seats popped up for sale, right as members of Congress started pushing FIFA for answers about high prices and demanding more transparency on how tickets are being priced.
Before, the highest category 1 ticket for the final topped out at $10,990. Now, the only way to snag that price is if you need a wheelchair or special-access seat; otherwise, you’re looking at the new, much steeper cost.
Prices don’t stop there. For the July 14 semifinal at AT&T Stadium in Texas, seats are $11,130, $4,330, $3,710, and $2,705. The next day’s semifinal in Atlanta? $10,635, $3,545, and $2,725. U.S. group stage matches aren’t cheap either; opening night in California runs $2,735, $1,940, or $1,120 a seat. The June 19 clash against Australia in Seattle sits at $2,715. And for the finale against Türkiye back in LA, tickets range from $2,970 down to $840.
Representatives Nellie Pou and Frank Pallone Jr, both Democrats from New Jersey, fired off a letter to FIFA’s president Gianni Infantino, calling FIFA’s use of “dynamic pricing” too secretive and criticising practices that make it tough for regular fans to get seats. Their letter didn’t mince words: “We’re deeply concerned about FIFA’s opaque pricing and shifting rules. Fans are getting frustrated and feel misled. We want to know how FIFA ensures everyone can actually afford to attend and what’s being done to address these concerns.”
Gianni Infantino hasn’t backed down. On Tuesday at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, he defended his price tags. “We have to look at the market,” Infantino said. “This is the most developed entertainment market anywhere, so we charge market rates. Tickets here can legally be resold, so if you price them low, people just flip them for more. In fact, even with what some call high prices, tickets end up reselling for twice as much or more.”
He also pointed out, “You can’t go to a college game in the U.S., never mind a pro one, without spending at least $300 for a decent ticket.”
Sure, tickets for huge events like the Super Bowl or the College Football Championship can hit these levels, but scores of seats at U.S. college and pro sporting events, even the NBA playoffs, still go for under $300.
When it comes to resale, FIFA doesn’t set those prices. On its official ticket exchange, final match seats were listed Thursday from $8,970 all the way up to a wild $11,499,998.85, the latter for a spot four rows from the top in the upper deck. FIFA takes 15% of each sale from both buyer and seller. Last month, somebody listed a final ticket for $2,299,998.85.
Infantino joked about those prices: “If people list final tickets for $2 million, number one, that’s not the actual price. Number two, who’s paying that? If someone does, I’ll personally deliver them a hot dog and a Coke.”
Ticket prices aren’t the only pain point for fans. Getting to the game, especially at MetLife Stadium, has its own sticker shock. NJ Transit originally set a $150 round-trip fare from anywhere to the stadium, way up from the normal $13-ish round trip from Manhattan’s Penn Station. After plenty of backlash, they cut it down to $105, but that’s still steep.
Governor Mikie Sherrill, via her spokesperson Steve Sigmund, said she’s pushing for more corporate contributions to lower fares for fans. “The governor is grateful for the companies helping reduce costs and will keep working to make the World Cup a win for both fans and New Jersey.”
FIFA, for its part, warned that these high transit prices could dampen turnout in New Jersey, while other host cities, LA, Dallas, and Houston, aren’t hiking fares for the games.
MetLife Stadium, usually home to the Giants and Jets, will host eight World Cup matches, including the final. Group stage games for powerhouse teams like Brazil, France, Germany, and England all kick off starting June 13.
FIFA EXTENDS PRESTIANNI BAN WORLDWIDE; WINGER SET TO MISS WORLD CUP OPENERS
Gianluca Prestianni will miss games against Algeria and Austria if selected by Scaloni. Get the full disciplinary breakdown.
FIFA has extended Gianluca Prestianni’s suspension for homophobic conduct to apply globally, which could sideline him for Argentina’s first two matches at the 2026 World Cup. The winger from Benfica, initially punished after a well-publicised incident with Real Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior, will now have his ban affect not just club matches but international competitive games as well.
The disciplinary move by FIFA follows a request from UEFA, and the FIFA Disciplinary Committee has confirmed the six-match ban will take effect worldwide. According to a FIFA spokesperson, the committee agreed to broaden the suspension’s scope, impacting all levels of competitive play.
This decision carries serious implications for both Benfica and Argentina. What was once a suspension limited to UEFA competitions now bars the 20-year-old from participating in any FIFA competitive events, including the upcoming World Cup in North America.
If Prestianni makes Lionel Scaloni’s final Argentina roster for 2026, he will be forced to sit out the opening group stage games against Algeria and Austria. Despite this setback, he remains eligible for friendlies; he was actually called up earlier this year for matches against Mauritania and Zambia following his November 2025 senior debut.
While the ban totals six matches, half of those come with a two-year probationary clause. After missing a Champions League match against Real Madrid under a provisional suspension, Prestianni still has two active games left to serve. Notably, domestic games with Benfica this season are unaffected, since the worldwide ban targets only competitive international fixtures.
The incident that triggered this whole saga happened on February 17 during a Champions League knockout match at Estadio da Luz. Vinicius Junior accused Prestianni of racial abuse, prompting referee Francois Letexier to pause the game for eight minutes and activate FIFA’s anti-discrimination protocol.
Prestianni has denied these accusations and issued a statement saying he never directed racist insults at Vinicius Junior, suggesting the player misunderstood what was said. He also condemned the threats he received from Real Madrid players in the aftermath.
Despite his denials, UEFA’s investigation concluded that Prestianni engaged in discriminatory, specifically homophobic, conduct, leading to his suspension.
Questions remain about the length of the ban, as UEFA’s rules generally mandate a minimum 10-match suspension for offences against human dignity based on factors like race or sexual orientation. UEFA has not explained why the disciplinary body settled on a shorter six-match penalty.
Looking ahead, Prestianni faces a challenging path to regain standing under scrutiny. Should he violate conduct rules again within the probationary period, the remaining three matches of his ban could be enforced immediately, potentially harming his prospects with both Benfica and the Argentina national team.
