Having just arrived in Florida, Suarez shows that at 37 years old, if he no longer has all his speed, he still has his quality in the last gesture with two goals and two assists, including one for Messi’s head. The Florida club completely outclassed Orlando, which was second in the regular season last year when Miami finished second to last in the Eastern Conference. It’s the Messi et al effect: Miami had aligned its four former heroes from FC Barcelona with the Argentinian, Suarez but also Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets.
And they were involved in all the goals: Robert Taylor only had to push a ball offered by Suarez. And on his first goal, Messi followed well to conclude a great opportunity from Jordi Alba who had easily broken through an apathetic Orlando defense. “I’m very happy for him, that he was able to score. We were calm anyway, we know what Luis is capable of doing,” Messi said, reassuring after Suarez’s timid debut in the United States upon his arrival from Grêmio. “He’s like that, when you least expect it, he solves a match, like he did today with goals and assists,” added the Argentine superstar.
More frosty atmosphere in Utah for Hugo Lloris: his new club, Los Angeles FC, finalist of MLS 2023, lost 3-0 on the very snowy pitch of Real Salt Lake and under intensifying snow. Hugo Lloris, who is discovering MLS, had to fetch the orange ball from the back of his net three times despite several saves in these difficult conditions. “It was a real joke that we had to play today. This is one of the worst professional sporting events I have ever seen in my life,” said LAFC coach Steve Cherundolo. “The match should have been canceled, it’s an absolute shame.”