Lionel Messi's Florida Derby heroics earned the Inter Miami CF superstar MLS Player of the Matchday honors for Matchday 2.
The legendary No. 10 netted a brace to spur the Herons to a thrilling 4-2 comeback win at Orlando City on Sunday Night Soccer presented by Continental Tire.Â
Messi's 17th multi-goal game in MLS regular-season play gave Miami their first-ever win at Orlando. In the process, he reached 89 career regular-season goal contributions (52g/37a) in 55 games.
Messi is now a 13-time MLS Player of the Matchday winner, which is third-most in league history. Only Landon Donovan (19) and Jeff Cunningham (14) have won the prize more times.
Since the start of the 2024 season, Messi has claimed approximately one in every six Player of the Matchday awards.Â
Messi and Miami hit the road again on Matchday 3 with a Saturday visit to D.C. United at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore (4:30 pm ET | Apple TV).
The MLS Player of the Matchday is selected each matchday of the regular season through both media and fan voting in a process conducted by MLS Communications. A panel of journalists from the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) comprises 75 percent of the vote, while an Instagram fan vote represents the remaining 25 percent of voting. NASR consists of members of print, television, radio, and online media.
