Lionel Messi, Inter Miami have won the MLS Supporter's Shield ...
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The Herons have completed the first step toward MLS Cup glory, but now need to continue their momentum into the playoffs
Lionel Messi, a man of notoriously few words, said it best himself.
"First goal accomplished," the Inter Miami superstar said on Instagram. "We move forward with the desire to achieve more things together."
Those 14 words are perhaps the perfect encapsulation of Inter Miami's season. It was never going to be as easy as those with a cursory understanding of their star-studded roster might think. But truth be told, they were sort of expected to win at least two MLS trophies this year. They secured one Wednesday night, bringing home the Supporters' Shield with a 3-2 victory over Columbus Crew - their presumptive biggest rivals for MLS Cup glory.
And that's all very nice. Messi gets to say he won trophy no. 46, extending his record. Miami establishes itself as mathematically the best team in the league. But that acknowledgment - handed out to the side with the best record in MLS - is the first part of a far bigger goal. The real work, the proper pursuit of a first MLS Cup in franchise history, starts now.
