Inter Miami CF Thrashes Columbus Crew 5-1

Chase Stadium- Inter Miami CF put on a display of good futbol Saturday night in a 5-1 thrashing of the Columbus Crew. Lionel Messi, with a brace and 3 assists, led Miami to its best performance of the season in its final match before the FIFA Club World Cup.

Starting XI

Multiple injuries and a tactical adjustment by Javier Mascherano resulted in Inter Miami CF fielding a lineup with several changes. Oscar Ustari began in goal, with Noah Allen, David Martinez, Maxi Falcon, and Marcelo Weigandt the defensive line. Sergio Busquets, Telasco Segovia, Benjamin Cremaschi, and Tadeo Allende the midfield quartet. The legends, Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi, commanded the attack.

The Heron’s Starting XI 🆚 Columbus Crew… Weigandt, Falcón Martinez get the nod on defense…Cremaschi , Segovia in the midfield…Last match before #FIFAWorldCup #MLS #InterMiamiCF #Messi pic.twitter.com/uV8oyXDCDv

— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) May 31, 2025

Match Action

The Herons came out flying versus Columbus, pressing every ball defensively and creating turnovers that led to dangerous counterattacks. Miami was focused on staying compact and pushing forward fast when in control of the ball, but their first goal came off a quick play off a dead ball by Lionel Messi.

Lionel caught the Crew defense sleeping and launched a perfect pass to Tadeo Allende, who, in stride, kicked the ball into the corner of the Crew net for Miami’s first goal, 13 minutes into the game.

TADEO ALLENDE PARA ABRIR EL MARCADOR 💥 pic.twitter.com/n2v3KD6CX0

— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) May 31, 2025

Benjamin Cremaschi’s pressure on the Columbus goalie led to a clearance that went straight to Lionel Messi. Messi controlled and lobbed the ball over the goalie into the net for the 2-0 Heron lead just 15 minutes in.

LA MAGIA DEL 1️⃣0️⃣ 🐐✨ DICE PRESENTE pic.twitter.com/LjEJ0S5gmQ

— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) May 31, 2025

The Crew defense was once again caught napping when Sergio Busquets launched a set-piece ball over to Lionel Messi, who finished with a classy chip over the goalkeeper.

EL SOMBRERITO DEL GOAT 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/pRxZjJDKuw

— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) June 1, 2025

Miami led 3-0 at the half, in complete control of the match and displaying its best football of the season thus far.

SOLID FIRST HALF 👊 Vamos Miami pic.twitter.com/5lqWPeHD03

— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) June 1, 2025

Columbus began the second half with improved play and got one back in the 58th minute off a corner kick header by Cesar Ruvalcaba. The Crew cut Inter Miami’s lead to 3-1.

Pulled one back courtesy of Ruvalcaba 👊 pic.twitter.com/l5AKe7Zz7a

— The Crew (@ColumbusCrew) June 1, 2025

Luis Suarez increased Miami’s lead in the 64th minute with a blast past the Crew keeper. Miami had a beautiful sequence of passes that culminated with Segovia serving Suarez with the assist.

El pistolero NO FALLA 💥 @LuisSuarez9 pic.twitter.com/G3jKVudF42

— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) June 1, 2025

Fafa Picault scored Miami’s final goal of the evening after a spectacular Lionel Messi pass left him one-on-one with the Crew keeper. The Herons dismantled Columbus, and Lionel Messi was once again the spark behind the Herons’ strong offensive display.

LM 1️⃣0️⃣🐐 ➡️ FAFA 7️⃣ pic.twitter.com/CNwi9CsuID

— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) June 1, 2025

Postgame

Javier Mascherano spoke about the positive results Inter Miami has had in the past three matches, especially the result against the Columbus Crew,

The results give us confidence and show us that if we are calm and brave we can play head-to-head with any team in MLS

Mascherano spoke with admiration about Lionel Messi and said that if he doesn’t look good, it’s because the coaching staff or players are failing him,

Clearly he is the best player in the history of this sport, and if he doesn’t look good it is because one of us is failing him

Mascherano waved off any praise for himself for Miami’s fantastic performance against Columbus, instead pointing at the players as the ones responsible for the strong performance,

It’s all the players’ responsibility for what they have done on the pitch tonight

The coach also stated that the performance against the Crew must not be a one-time deal, but it must continue to be the standard for the team,

We can defend like we did tonight and when we have the ball we can be brave like we were tonight

The Herons’ brilliant performance, according to Mascherano, is an act of the players buying into the message and putting in the enormous effort defensively while being courageous going forward on the attack.

Final Thoughts

Inter Miami CF made a massive statement with Saturday night’s thrashing of the Columbus Crew. A 5-1 result against one of the best teams in MLS put the rest of the league on notice that news of Inter Miami’s demise was greatly exaggerated. The Herons had a terrible streak of results, but there are too many games left in the season to count them out as MLS Cup contenders.

Chelo Weigandt had a strong game against Columbus and showed why Mascherano has so much confidence in him. The battle between him and Ian Fray for the starting right-back spot only makes the team better.

Benjamin Cremaschi had a phenomenal game versus the Crew. His part in the win won’t show up in the statistics, but be assured, he was massively important in Miami’s win. The young Heron provided great defensive energy and was very good on the attack. Benja showed his versatility and quality.

Javier Mascherano made a tactical decision to go away from the double-pivot in Miami’s 4-2-3-1 formation and instead opted for a 4-4-2, where Cremaschi, Segovia, and Allende overloaded the Crew midfield and totally controlled the match. The shift allowed Busquets to receive in space and controlled distribution while the younger midfielders suffocated the Crew with pressure.

Maxi Falcon and David Martinez had solid games against Columbus. I have questioned Falcon’s speed, but the low line and compact team block allowed him to show his greatest qualities: anticipation and positioning. This style of play suits Falcon perfectly. Hopefully, Miami continues to play in this manner.

Now, on to the FIFA Club World Cup and bigger and better challenges. The Herons are going to have their hands full, but if they play as they did Saturday night, they have a chance to compete and leave a good impression.