HARRISON, N.J. (AP) — Lionel Messi was not in the starting lineup for his first Major League Soccer game with Inter Miami, a match at the New York Red Bulls on Saturday night.
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner was on coach Tata Martino's bench along with midfielder Sergio Busquets, forward Josef Martinez and U.S. national team defender DeAndre Yedlin.
Miami entered with an 11-game MLS winless streak that included eight defeats and had just one road victory this season. Miami's 22 points were the fewest among the league's 29 teams.
The 36-year-old Messi, who joined MLS from Paris Saint-Germain, played his first Miami game on July 21 in the Leagues Cup and scored 10 goals in seven games in that competition and a U.S. Open Cup semifinal.
The streets around Red Bull Arena were packed 2 1/2 hours before the match, filled with dozens of scalpers and people selling unlicensed Messi jerseys. A simulcast of the game was scheduled on a videoboard in Times Square.
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