SportsCatch
EN

Messi scores but hits Sullivan: MLS opens disciplinary investigation

Lionel Messi scored in Inter Miami's 2-2 draw at Philadelphia on Wednesday in MLS, but gave a tap on the neck to American international Quinn Sullivan. The league's disciplinary commission will examine the incident.

1 min read
Messi scores but hits Sullivan: MLS opens disciplinary investigation
Share

Lionel Messi scored and sparked a disciplinary incident as Inter Miami traveled to Philadelphia on Wednesday evening, a 2-2 draw that leaves the Florida side second in the Eastern Conference.

A month after Argentina’s 2026 World Cup final loss to Spain (1-0, a.e.t.), and days after being absent for his father’s funeral, Messi played his fifth match of the season with the club. He opened his personal tally by beating German left-back Kai Wagner before getting past Jamaican goalkeeper Andre Blake in the 26th minute. Daniel Pinter had previously equalized for Miami on a Luis Suarez assist. Neil Pierre’s equalizer in the 60th minute denied the club a victory.

It was in the second half, particularly tense, that Messi nearly came to blows with American international Quinn Sullivan. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner gave him a tap on the neck, triggering a face-to-face between the two players before the referee intervened. MLS’s disciplinary commission announced it would look into the matter.

In the standings, Inter Miami remains second in the Eastern Conference, seven points behind Nashville. Robert Lewandowski’s Chicago Fire are four points back of the Herons. Messi now has 13 goals and 7 assists in 17 league matches this season.

Share
{# Sitewide native fullscreen interstitial — our own bet-CTA card blown up to a takeover (replaces the SDK overlay). The shared card animations + countdown load once, AFTER the interstitial markup, so the countdown script's first tick sees this card's node too (the in-read card, in
above, already exists). One include covers both surfaces. #}