Late in the second half, the moment came for Lionel Messi.
The Crew had defended him well for most of his 40-plus-minutes cameo off the bench, barely allowing the Argentine a yard of space.
And then, with the game deadlocked at 2-2 in second half stoppage time, they switched off.
It was a slightly underwhelming end to what might have been a glorious return for the Miami star, who came off the bench against the Crew on Saturday night.
But an own goal from a shaky Casemiro, followed by Brais Méndez’s late free-kick equalizer, showed that this team still has plenty of frailties.
Late in the second half, the moment came for Lionel Messi. The Crew had defended him well for most of his 40-plus-minutes cameo off the bench, barely allowing the Argentine a yard of space. And then, with the game deadlocked at 2-2 in second half stoppage time, they switched off. Messi had a few yards, and time to measure up a shot. He studied the angles, lifted his weaker right foot... and lashed the ball well over the bar.
It was a slightly underwhelming end to what might have been a glorious return for the Miami star, who came off the bench against the Crew on Saturday night. Miami were admittedly disappointing on the day. Luis Suarez scored a lovely goal. Noah Allen added another. But an own goal from a shaky Casemiro, followed by Brais Méndez’s late free-kick equalizer, showed that this team still has plenty of frailties.
Usually, Messi is able to fix these things - or at least mask them. But against the Crew, he could not. A disappointing one for the GOAT...
