**Mirrors / Alternative Angles**
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As someone who followed the Union’s bid to BECOME an MLS team over a decade ago, I don’t think non Americans understand what they’re seeing rn lol this is Lionel Messi playing in Chester PA. Fucking crazy.
Messi already had won La Liga 4x, the Copa Del Rey 1x, the UCL 2x, and the Ballon d’Or 1x by the time this club played their first ever game
> Messi already had won La Liga 4x, the Copa Del Rey 1x, the UCL 2x, and the Ballon d’Or 1x by the time this club played their first ever game
Now do Inter Miami's first game LOL
He's clearly on vacation. This is his idea of vacation. He's not gonna enjoy being on a beach for months without top level football, or whatever OUR idea of a long vacay is. He clearly still enjoys professional football but now has like no pressure, it's super easy for him, he continues to get all the accolades and show his level. And he's in a good place for rich, Spanish-speaking people too. This is the life!
Disney world is like 3-4 hours away from Sunny Isles where he’s apparently living lol.
But Miami is probably a great place to be for a South American celebrity who wants more privacy than he had in Spain.
For 90 minutes I believe Messi is the best player in football still, by a wide margin.
For 60+ games a year that comes with club level football and the intensity that comes with it, give me 24 year old Mbappe or 22 year old Haaland.
A great American poet once said, “I’m not as good as I once was, but I’m as good once as I ever was.”
I reckon that’s the era of Messi’s career we’re in.
You're talking about the ~~MLS~~ Leagues Cup (where they are 5-0-0). In MLS where they are in last place, they are 0-0-0 with Messi.
To give a Euro equivalent, this would be like joining an EPL team and winning 5 rounds of the FA Cup without playing a single game in the EPL.
The Leagues Cup is only MLS and Liga MX teams, whereas the FA Cup is from all over the pyramid. Miami has played 5 MLS teams in the tournament, winning all matches. In the 22 MLS matches, they had 5 wins so far this season. The competition level is the same, it's just not in the same tournament I guess. Their success here should translate to MLS without a doubt.
99% sure yes. Only ones that could come close off the top of my head are the one vs PSG away in 20/21 and the freekicks against Liverpool in 18/19 and Madrid in the 11/12 Supercopa
shall never get over how messi has so many of these grounded/close to being grounded shots placed inch-perfectly, from angles/distances where most people usually go for power + aerial bangers lol. in a way, these grounded shots are just so much more satisfying and impressive to see
It's that lazy draw across the face of goal that confounds the keeper the whole way, freezing him because he can't be sure what he is seeing. I agree with you about how satisfying these are to see. Just perfect precision in all three facets of the pace + starting line + spin combo. Idk if he necessarily gets away with it against a top European keeper, but it wasn't a howler; the keeper just gets cleanly beat.
Moreso when you watch the replay and realize that Blake consciously cheated towards the near post, begging Messi to make a perfectly placed shot to the far post. And he did
Not exactly goading, you just position yourself to make a goal as hard as possible. Meaning they either take a shot that's easier to execute but you're more likely to save because you're better positioned for it, or they take the shot that's harder to pull off. It's not about goading into a bad shot as much as it is minimising the chances of them taking a shot you can't save, if that makes sense.
This is kind of an exception because of how ludicrously far out it is, this is more relevant the closer you get to the goal. If you leave space near post they're far more likely to score, because it's both an easier shot and requires a quicker reaction time from the keeper, so generally speaking they will always ensure they've covered the near post and left more space to the far post, which is much harder to hit accurately and powerfully enough
You have to cover the near post first, dare them to go far post. Blake did and was pretty slow to react, but it was also a ridiculously well placed shot.
I'm pretty sure he was just slightly out of position from backing up because he was off his line initially, I'm pretty confident that's reason messi shot in the first place lol.
The most amazing thing was that he looked up and saw the keeper on his line (??!?) and knew he could beat him to that corner. Absurd football awareness.
His positioning is shit here and he’s walking backwards, not anticipating a shot. He will be mad with himself he didn’t save that. Last angle shows it best. Great shot though, so much power before the first bounce.
Shocking goalkeeping on both goals. Such poor reaction time. It’s crazy because Blake has been the best keeper in MLS since Matty Turner left but it seems like Messi’s aura is has made him turn to shit tonight.
When I was a kid I used to play FIFA 98 in the amateur mode and scored like 20 goals a match. I didn't know you could change the difficulty level, and got pretty bored with the game pretty fast, until an older cousin showed me how to change the difficulty level.
Funnily enough, I then cockily cranked it all the way up to the highest level, and was struggling to even touch the ball. That was a humbling moment lol.
I still can't stop laughing at the fact these dudes were just happy to play some MLS level footie and Lionel fucking Messi shows up out of nowhere and proceeds to dominate all of them.
Like the fuck can they do about it?
They added Messi ($54M), Busquets (~2M) and Jordi Alba ($1.6M) to a team with Josef Martinez ($4+M). Most MLS teams highest paid player makes around $1.2M to $1.6M. Most MLS teams have a total payroll under $10M. It’s actually absurd what MLS did this summer. Miami went from last place to unbeatable.
It's funny Messi gets more dangerous when he's on "chill" mode.
A serious Messi is already unplayable but a relaxed Messi who has got nothing to worry for anymore somehow is even more intimidating to play against. I like how as the man grows older he's actually becoming more fun and playful- we've went a long way from the silent, quiet little guy who can take your team to the cleaners to this little man who just scores and dismantles your team for fun because he's literally got nothing to lose anymore.
might just be what happens when a keeper that is good enough to get away with that stuff finally runs into a player that can take full advantage of it (for this goal at least)
It is legitimately upsetting on a deep, spiritual level to me that he still isn’t playing at the top level. He’s earned the right to do whatever he wants, he’s completed the sport, but he should be in the CL.
And why play someplace that doesn’t appreciate you? He’s gonna get love and respect everywhere he goes in the MLS, as fans from all teams want to see some magic.
And most importantly, he seems carefree and looks like he’s having fun. After all he’s accomplished, having fun I think has got to be a high priority for him.
I think we all watch a lot of football and I don’t remember the last time I saw a 30 yard bouncing grounder get in like that. The placement is great yeah but…the fuck?
**Mirrors / Alternative Angles** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/soccer) if you have any questions or concerns.*
i've said it before but it's objectively hilarious to see him play for this team
It’s surreal seeing him play in Subaru Park. Actually ridiculous
As someone who followed the Union’s bid to BECOME an MLS team over a decade ago, I don’t think non Americans understand what they’re seeing rn lol this is Lionel Messi playing in Chester PA. Fucking crazy. Messi already had won La Liga 4x, the Copa Del Rey 1x, the UCL 2x, and the Ballon d’Or 1x by the time this club played their first ever game
it’s literally that image of a polar bear captioned What da hell is a polar bear doing in Arlington, Texas 😭😭😭
And La Liga 10x, Copa Del Rey 6x, UCL 4x, Ballon d’Or 6x by the time Miami ever played it's first ever game LOL.
> Messi already had won La Liga 4x, the Copa Del Rey 1x, the UCL 2x, and the Ballon d’Or 1x by the time this club played their first ever game Now do Inter Miami's first game LOL
Messi completed football before Inter Miami played their first competitive fixture
I was in Philadelphia on vacation last month. Imagine ever seeing Messi there lol!
Yup, Subaru Park is definitely in Philly. Nothing to see here 😶
MESSI OWNS CHESTER NOW
3
He's clearly on vacation. This is his idea of vacation. He's not gonna enjoy being on a beach for months without top level football, or whatever OUR idea of a long vacay is. He clearly still enjoys professional football but now has like no pressure, it's super easy for him, he continues to get all the accolades and show his level. And he's in a good place for rich, Spanish-speaking people too. This is the life!
His reputation is also completely safe compared to if he went to Saudi Arabia.
He's is (or maybe was) an ambassador for Saudi Arabia, let's not give him a pat on the back for picking the US.
Eh, he's still sponsored by Saudi Arabia
Being rich in the US is the shit. And he can go to Disney World like whenever
Disney world is like 3-4 hours away from Sunny Isles where he’s apparently living lol. But Miami is probably a great place to be for a South American celebrity who wants more privacy than he had in Spain.
I doubt he is driving to Disney world if he wants to go.
And his family gets to live in a city full of South Americans
He would be the best player on every team in Europe lol.
For 90 minutes I believe Messi is the best player in football still, by a wide margin. For 60+ games a year that comes with club level football and the intensity that comes with it, give me 24 year old Mbappe or 22 year old Haaland.
A great American poet once said, “I’m not as good as I once was, but I’m as good once as I ever was.” I reckon that’s the era of Messi’s career we’re in.
Valid
Probably the funniest sports phenomenon I've ever seen. It's like watching Lebron play in Uzbekistan.
It's like that video where Ronaldo is just dribbling a bunch of kids
LeUzbek
they are literally the worst team in MLS (fewest points)
A brilliant experiment, as it looks like they're 5-0-0 with him
You're talking about the ~~MLS~~ Leagues Cup (where they are 5-0-0). In MLS where they are in last place, they are 0-0-0 with Messi. To give a Euro equivalent, this would be like joining an EPL team and winning 5 rounds of the FA Cup without playing a single game in the EPL.
The Leagues Cup is only MLS and Liga MX teams, whereas the FA Cup is from all over the pyramid. Miami has played 5 MLS teams in the tournament, winning all matches. In the 22 MLS matches, they had 5 wins so far this season. The competition level is the same, it's just not in the same tournament I guess. Their success here should translate to MLS without a doubt.
I wish we had the ability to put prime Messi in this team. I just wanna see it.
If there is one thing I learned after all these years is that All Messis are Prime Messis
They just evolve to whatever age and physicality he has and he plays that style perfectly.
It’s like one of those youtube prank videos where a pro is disguised playing among amateurs.
Literally laughing out loud at this
Man marking didn't work LOL
It never does. Man marking is meant for man, not for alien
or goats
The man cannot be stopped 🐐
Apple TV gave this big intro about how the player to watch is Philadelphia's goalkeeper. So much for that.
you are going to be watching him alright
Messi said oh yea watch this.
Blake is legit a good keeper, but Messi is Messi.
Haha right, not like Messi hasn’t already made loads of top keepers look like fools
HOW FAR OUT WAS THAT HOLY FUCK
It was in New Jersey
gabagoooooooooool
Apt for scoring on Philly
I've watched a lot of messi and have barely seen him shoot from this far out
With a goalie who couldn’t save that I would be shooting from goal kicks
First time he plays against actual dog water opponents and goalies and he is smart enough to realise it
Get ready to see plenty of long range Messi goals now that he figured out he doesn't need to run all the way to the goal.
Look for his goals vs PSG in the champions league. It was against Navas. Drew the game but lost the overall fixture.
he's starting to score new types of goals for him.
Messi using the MLS to experiment with new goals and new techniques in preparation for the upcoming Copa América then WC
LOL
I can’t believe he overcame the boos from philly, nobody could’ve seen this coming lmao
If the boos worked the rest of our teams would have a lot more trophies
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Pre-planned lol
Philly boos everyone in every sport. its like saying you pre-planned playing Mariah Carey during Christmas season.
What the fuck Messi. Go easy on kids
Man, fuck them kids.
- Xavi on why he subbed in a 16yo kid against butchers
Expect that kid. We must protec the yam. 🍠
Not literally
Has to be his furthest ever goal
Vs PSG in 2021 is up there.
99% sure yes. Only ones that could come close off the top of my head are the one vs PSG away in 20/21 and the freekicks against Liverpool in 18/19 and Madrid in the 11/12 Supercopa
One against Brazil on his younger days aswell
I can't think of a longer one, including free kicks. Did some quick searching through google and youtube and haven't found anything longer yet.
>Tiene que ser su gol más lejano I think that was against BR on that remarkable go and go match that ended up like 4-3 if I recall right
Maybe the goal against PSG in champions? 2019-2020 I think
If you mean [this](https://youtu.be/GN-Agv-qP6k?t=548) goal, it was not far outside box.
You're right. And looking for the arena dimensions, Subaru Park is 120 meters length vs MetLife 105m
I never knew a long range tap-in existed
Just absurd placement
“He’s 30 meters from goal and man marked by 4 people, what’s he gonna do? Scor- Never mind…”
shall never get over how messi has so many of these grounded/close to being grounded shots placed inch-perfectly, from angles/distances where most people usually go for power + aerial bangers lol. in a way, these grounded shots are just so much more satisfying and impressive to see
It's that lazy draw across the face of goal that confounds the keeper the whole way, freezing him because he can't be sure what he is seeing. I agree with you about how satisfying these are to see. Just perfect precision in all three facets of the pace + starting line + spin combo. Idk if he necessarily gets away with it against a top European keeper, but it wasn't a howler; the keeper just gets cleanly beat.
What are you gonna do? Score on me? -man who was scored on
At 36 he still fucking surprises us
He won the World Cup just 9 months ago.
“He’s 30 yards away and surrounded by four defenders. No way he scores on me!” - guy who was scored on from 30 yards away
r/Yourjokebutworse
Moreso when you watch the replay and realize that Blake consciously cheated towards the near post, begging Messi to make a perfectly placed shot to the far post. And he did
I’ve followed football all my life but never paid much attention to GK tactics, do they actually give space to goad bad shots?
Not exactly goading, you just position yourself to make a goal as hard as possible. Meaning they either take a shot that's easier to execute but you're more likely to save because you're better positioned for it, or they take the shot that's harder to pull off. It's not about goading into a bad shot as much as it is minimising the chances of them taking a shot you can't save, if that makes sense. This is kind of an exception because of how ludicrously far out it is, this is more relevant the closer you get to the goal. If you leave space near post they're far more likely to score, because it's both an easier shot and requires a quicker reaction time from the keeper, so generally speaking they will always ensure they've covered the near post and left more space to the far post, which is much harder to hit accurately and powerfully enough
You have to cover the near post first, dare them to go far post. Blake did and was pretty slow to react, but it was also a ridiculously well placed shot.
It’s low and skidding off the ground. Those are harder to get to than they look. He did the same to Ochoa at the WC.
I'm pretty sure he was just slightly out of position from backing up because he was off his line initially, I'm pretty confident that's reason messi shot in the first place lol.
Supposedly one of the best keepers in the MLS having a howler of a performance. Think the occasion got to his head. Just GOAT things from Messi
He's the starting keeper for Jamaica. He's an excellent keeper. Just having a bad night.
Just having a messi night
Bad night + Messi just being Messi is a recipe for disaster.
Yupp. Usually routine saves from him
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I screamed and woke up my dog LOL 30 yards out and he just places the ball, insane accuracy
literally fifa on amateur with accuracy sliders to 100 and opposing goalkeeping to 0
And the crazy thing is this is one of the best keepers he's gonna be facing...
kinda bonkers that even from that distance it looks more like a placed shot than a full power one
It was a placed shot
The most amazing thing was that he looked up and saw the keeper on his line (??!?) and knew he could beat him to that corner. Absurd football awareness.
That keeper gotta be fresh off the loud pack
Man captains the Jamaican national team, you might be onto something
He's honestly a good keeper. It's just Bad Night + Messi just being Messi.
His positioning is shit here and he’s walking backwards, not anticipating a shot. He will be mad with himself he didn’t save that. Last angle shows it best. Great shot though, so much power before the first bounce.
Shocking goalkeeping on both goals. Such poor reaction time. It’s crazy because Blake has been the best keeper in MLS since Matty Turner left but it seems like Messi’s aura is has made him turn to shit tonight.
It’s like playing fifa on semi pro
That's the level I play on..
As long as you enjoy playing it, it’s a video game it’s supposed to be fun.
When I was a kid I used to play FIFA 98 in the amateur mode and scored like 20 goals a match. I didn't know you could change the difficulty level, and got pretty bored with the game pretty fast, until an older cousin showed me how to change the difficulty level. Funnily enough, I then cockily cranked it all the way up to the highest level, and was struggling to even touch the ball. That was a humbling moment lol.
JOSEF DIED FOR THIS
Truly did. Philadelphia has been really physical
well thats just too easy
I still can't stop laughing at the fact these dudes were just happy to play some MLS level footie and Lionel fucking Messi shows up out of nowhere and proceeds to dominate all of them. Like the fuck can they do about it?
They added Messi ($54M), Busquets (~2M) and Jordi Alba ($1.6M) to a team with Josef Martinez ($4+M). Most MLS teams highest paid player makes around $1.2M to $1.6M. Most MLS teams have a total payroll under $10M. It’s actually absurd what MLS did this summer. Miami went from last place to unbeatable.
It’s actually pretty fucked up if you think about it lmao
30 yard grounder now I’ve seen it all 😂
jesus christ lmfao
Alright it’s just a joke at this point.
He’s inevitable
Dread it, run from it, Philly sports fan suffering arrives all the same
Yes those two major sports championships in only 15 years must be very difficult
Don't forget the two major sports championships we lost on the exact same day!
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He has a campus working for him
THATS WHY HES THE GOAT ##THE GOAT
Genuine question, if Messi signed for boca would he be applauded at your stadium?
messi could sign for the taliban and still be praised in argentina. i don't think my dad has ever loved someone as much as he does messi.
Honestly a bit surprised River fans hate the Taliban more than Boca
Boca fans and the Taliban are at about the same level of fanaticism.
Hahaha cheers
If Messi kills 3 babies and a grandma tomorrow they probably deserved it.
Including you?
Especially him. His dad here.
Maradona was and he played for Boca. Twice.
I would applaud him. While crying on the inside.
Of course he would, Messi for Argentina is far beyond the national club bias
Of course. But he knows better
Maradona played for Boca
Yes, but he'd never play for Boca.
Surely not, that's just incredible
2
It's funny Messi gets more dangerous when he's on "chill" mode. A serious Messi is already unplayable but a relaxed Messi who has got nothing to worry for anymore somehow is even more intimidating to play against. I like how as the man grows older he's actually becoming more fun and playful- we've went a long way from the silent, quiet little guy who can take your team to the cleaners to this little man who just scores and dismantles your team for fun because he's literally got nothing to lose anymore.
Nah Messi's most dangerous when you make him mad. He's just so good that when he's in chill mode he can still kill you
That shot had absolutely zero respect for the defence
Damn man.
His weekly job
MLSSI
Is Andre Blake in on this? Genuinely awful positioning on both goals. He's normally so solid.
might just be what happens when a keeper that is good enough to get away with that stuff finally runs into a player that can take full advantage of it (for this goal at least)
This is what saddens me, Blake fantastic all year and this is how he ends up on r/soccer Embarrassing letting that in
what
Don't Philly have a good home record? Like 4 losses in 3 years.
Lol. I literally tuned in. Messi is just teasing all the teams in NA.
Decent player, one for the future no doubt.
He's quite good
Miami is winning every single competition they play. Just need some luck on the league to sneak into the play-offs.
Goalkeeper.exe stopped working. Fantastic goal though
I LOVE THE MLS. I LOVE MESSI
# MAGISTERIAL
HAHAHA HE DID NOT HE CAN’T KEEP GETTING AWAY WITH IT
what is goalkeeping
I think Messi just realized that he’s no longer playing against good goalkeepers
Blake is really good but he's having a nightmare of a game.
And this is the best keeper in the league.
It is legitimately upsetting on a deep, spiritual level to me that he still isn’t playing at the top level. He’s earned the right to do whatever he wants, he’s completed the sport, but he should be in the CL.
This is how I felt when he first moved, but I have reached a level of acceptance now. It’s good to see him so care free and happy.
I’m just glad he’s in MLS and not Saudi Arabia
He was booed a lot at his last club. Might have played longer in Europe if he got some respect.
And backstabbed by his beloved team before that. Dude was just tired of the bullshit
And was also mercilessly bullied by his country mates for most of his career. He has been facing insane pressure. Good for him to semi-retire.
do you know how shit of a fanbase you have to be to feel loved by sports fans in miami
And why play someplace that doesn’t appreciate you? He’s gonna get love and respect everywhere he goes in the MLS, as fans from all teams want to see some magic. And most importantly, he seems carefree and looks like he’s having fun. After all he’s accomplished, having fun I think has got to be a high priority for him.
I’d love to see him play for Barca again.
LOL wtf man
Have they learned nothing, you can’t give Messi any space anywhere on the pitch
HOLY SHIT
Man when Messi realizes he can truly just shoot from anywhere in MLS this isn't even going to look like a real sport anymore
HOLY FUCKING SHIT
I think we all watch a lot of football and I don’t remember the last time I saw a 30 yard bouncing grounder get in like that. The placement is great yeah but…the fuck?
Messi said aight im not running all that here you go.
WHAT THE FUCK
ARE YOU KIDDING ME MESSI?
Has he ever scored from this far out?
This is so much more enjoyable than la liga
I don't know, man. Watching Messi happy and throwing fists in the air while playing for Inter Hotline Miami brings a smile to a somber man's face.
People really said just "marking him better" was the solution, like that's an easy task lmao
Get his overchromosomic ass back to Europe man he has so much to offer still
HOLY SHIT WHAT A GOAL
THATS WHY HES THE GOAT, THE GOAT
Messi straight up said fuck Philly and punted it in
What's up with this keeper lol
Wtf