Miami had the pressure on them since they lost the first meeting in California with 1–0. And in the return match, they gave the home crowd the worst possible start when Aaron Long gave the visitors the lead in the match and 2–0 overall. In the 31st minute, Messi managed to score a goal – only to have it ruled out.
After that, however, the 37-year-old's fortunes changed. In the 35th minute, he first made it 1–1, which he followed up by assisting Noah Allen to 2–1 a short time into the second half.
When the home team then got a penalty due to a handball situation with six minutes left of regular time, Messi made sure to capitalize on the moment by placing the ball in the corner and sending Miami to the semifinals.
