Lionel Messi is on a roll entering the Inter Miami game at FC Cincinnati Wednesday, with two goals in each of his past five MLS matches. An obscure statistic could serve as extra motivation for him to keep the streak alive.

The Argentine legend, who has scored 872 goals over his illustrious career, has never scored against Cincinnati, unless you count the penalty kick he converted in a shootout win on Aug. 23, 2023, in the U.S. Open Cup semifinals. Messi provided a pair of assists for a Leo Campana brace that day but did not score from the run of play.

Two months later, Messi was returning from injury and entered the Miami game against Cincinnati as a second-half sub but did not score.

He was away on international duty and missed Cincinnati’s 6-1 rout of Miami in early July 2024, as did Luis Suarez. Jordi Alba was not available for that game, either, due to yellow card accumulation and Sergio Busquets exited with a pair of yellows in the second half, leaving Miami with 10 men.

Messi also skipped their most recent matchup in August 2024 due to injury.

Informed by media members that Messi had never scored against Cincinnati, Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano broke into a huge grin and said:

“That’s great news you are giving me. I’m sure he already knows. But that is great motivation. We all know Leo. In every game he finds extra motivation, not only individually but collectively. He loves a new challenge. He’s one of those players who, if that challenge isn’t there, he will invent one. That’s why he’s so great. Hopefully, he can end that scoreless streak.”

Cincinnati sits in second place in the Eastern Conference with 42 points from 22 games, just one point behind league leader Philadelphia Union.

Cincinnati was in first place and riding a four-game winning streak last week but lost 4-2 to Columbus.

Inter Miami returns to Cincinnati for the first time since that 6-1 drubbing last summer and has lost three straight games at TQL Stadium.

But Miami is in good form, with five consecutive MLS victories and a strong performance in the Club World Cup. Messi and his teammates have climbed to fifth place in the East with three games in hand over their opponents and are just three points from third place and five from the top of the table.

The team is coming off a 2-1 home victory over Nashville on Saturday.

“It’s a similar situation as Nashville, a team that though it lost the other day, was coming off a very good streak at home, winning lots of games, and we expect a very difficult game against a team with great players and a coach with a lot of MLS experience,” Mascherano said of Cincinnati.

Cincinnati coach Pat Noonan said while Inter Miami is best known for its superstars, his players must beware of the entire roster.

“Their best players are really strong, but it’s not just about Messi, Suarez, Busquets, Alba who are, we know, world class. They’ve done this their entire careers. But I think the pieces around them right now are also performing at a high level,” Noonan said.

“You see all the pieces, the [Telasco) Segovia’s, the [Fede] Redondo’s. On the back line — [Maxi] Falcon — these guys are, and I’m naming all of these players that are getting a lot of minutes and helping them, [Tadeo] Allende. These are really good players. So, our 11 have to be collective in everything they do to try to make them uncomfortable when we have the ball and be very connected and very strong especially in one-v-one moments.”

Inter Miami midfielders Yannick Bright and David Ruiz and defender Gonzalo Lujan got medical clearance to play and will travel to the game after long layoffs, Mascherano confirmed. He was unsure how much they would play.

Center back David Martinez’s loan from River Plate expires on Wednesday, so he will not travel with the team and is headed back to Argentina.

Noonan noted Inter Miami’s improved defense, which is bolstered by strong leadership from goalkeeper Oscar Ustari and center back Maxi Falcon.

“I think defensively you can see, just in moments where the ball turns over, the organization and how they’ve defended against the ball to be tough to play against,” Noonan said. “So, I think that’s been a strength of their team and in recent months, from what we’ve seen”

With 10 goals in his last five league matches, Messi set a league record.

“The reality is we’re playing one of, if not the, greatest players that ever played, so we have to be mindful of where he is and what he does,” defender Matt Miazga said. “But at the same time, we’re playing at home. We have to focus on ourselves and push our game forward. If we do that, we’ll minimize them, and that’s the most important thing. So that’s the focus now.”

Kevin Denkey and Evander lead Cincinnati with 25 goals between them. Cincinnati also features former Inter Miami right back DeAndre Yedlin.

How to watch

Inter Miami vs. Cincinnati kicks off at 7:30 p.m. on Apple TV MLS Season Pass.

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